Prosecutor Regrets Warrant For 9YO

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry Watson issued this statement to KHQ re: issuing an arrest warrant for a 9YO who stole bubblegum from a store: “Recently in a Juvenile Justice case involving a misdemeanor Petit Theft charge, an arrest warrant was issued for a 9 year old juvenile. The case has been sealed by the handling judge, so I cannot communicate substantive details of the case. An arrest warrant can be issued by a judge at my office’s request, when accompanied by a police officer’s affidavit, when a child has missed scheduled court dates. In this situation unsuccessful efforts had been made to enroll the child and the child’s parent in a diversion program, and subsequently the child and the child’s parent missed court dates. After reviewing the file today (Monday January 12, 2015) I have concluded that my office’s request to have an arrest warrant issued was a mistake under the circumstances. At least one other viable option existed, which was to seek a court-ordered child protection investigation.” More here.

Thoughts?