Mother stunned to find daughter, 12, handcuffed to a chair when she went to pick her up from school

“I repeat, the shepherd doesn’t beat the sheep. He may push them.”

I repeat, you don’t know squat about herding sheep! You use as much force as is needed and no more. Sometimes that is a LOT of force. I’m not talking about a 30 sheep flock that lives full time in a pasture but range flocks of 1-3,000 sheep.

The rancher/shepherds don’t ENJOY beating the sheep, or having the dogs get rough with them, but you cannot get the job done without sometimes using a lot of force.

It is ultimately for the good of the sheep. If a sheep wanders in the mountains of the western USA, it usually dies. I went with a friend who spent a couple of hours tracking down and bringing back a ewe - a ewe missing an ear, which made her luckier than the other ewe she ran off with. The surviving ewe did her best to escape. We finally got her, managed to knock her down and then tie her legs and we dragged the bloody ewe back to the truck and threw her in. Still tied up. She stayed tied up until we got her back to the flock.

Nothing “gentle” about it. We were both bruised and exhausted. The ewe probably hated us. But we got her back to the flock. Alive, unlike her companion.

You are describing sheep you haven’t met.

Sorry, but step parents need to keep their mitts off the kids. Period.

1) I think you're full of it, but that poisonous attitude is quite common. Therefore:

2) Gentlemen should NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES date or marry a "single mom". Ever. Don't even think about it. "Single moms" should be viewed as radioactive, toxic, mutagenic, and Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Harm. Get involved with one, and you become a second-class citizen in your home. I don't care how hot she is, she's not even remotely worth it. "Divorced moms" are even worse.

I don’t know if any states have special laws that might allow arresting, detaining, or handcuffing students, but I’m familiar with what most states require for a citizen’s arrest.

Most are like Texas. In Texas, you can arrest someone if you witness them commit a crime punishable by a year or more in jail or prison. These are generally felonies. If the felonies are aggravated, you can be fairly confident in arresting someone. You must maintain a line of sight from when you saw the crime committed in order to avoid mistaken identity.

Only law enforcement can arrest on probable cause. Further, law enforcement must arrest anyone they see committing a felony. They cannot ignore it.

Perhaps it could be reasonable to restrain a child to prevent him or her from harming himself/herself or others. But this situation appears to be an attempt to use such tools as a form of punishment. That’s unlawful restraint and could itself be a felony.

In Texas, if the victim is under 17 years old, unlawful restraint is a state jail felony. The penalty for a state jail felony is up to 24 months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. A LEO must arrest an adult who is using unlawful restraint. Obviously there could be special or mitigating circumstances.

Did this child have a disability that is a basis for restraint?

Was she already under some kind of protective order due to past criminal behavior?

Unfortunately, modern educational systems mainstream students even if they have committed serious criminal offenses. Innocent, well-behaved students may be classmates to murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals.

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