Mom of 10-year-old jailed for peeing in public sues city, cops for $2 million
The mother of a 10-year-old Mississippi boy arrested last year for public urination is now suing the city and several police officers for $2 million in damages.
Quantavious Eason was taken into custody Aug. 10 after a cop spotted him peeing behind the door of his mother’s car in a parking lot in Senatobia, just south of Memphis.
The third-grader, who was not handcuffed, was held in a jail cell for “45 minutes to one hour,” the federal lawsuit viewed by The Post claimed.
In the suit, the boy’s mother, Latonya Eason, is seeking $2 million in compensatory damages from the City of Senatobia, Police Chief Richard Chandler, former officer Zachary Jenkins, and four unnamed police officers for the “physical and psychological injuries” she and her son endured from the incident.
Though the charges against Quantavious were eventually dismissed, the now-11-year-old continues to suffer “embarrassment, harassment, PTSD, shock, and other physical, emotional, and traumatizing injuries,” from the arrest, the lawsuit stated.
“It gets to the point where he sees police officers, he just starts shaking. He’s frightened,” Eason told Action News 5 shortly after the filing on Wednesday.
Quantavious was initially given a verbal warning from a Senatobia officer who saw him relieving himself while his mother was in a nearby office building, the suit alleged.
A few moments later, however, Jenkins and four other officers arrived at the scene and told Eason that her son “must go to jail” for the behavior, it continued.
Quantavious was later charged with being a child in need of services before he was released into his mother’s custody.
Chandler later called the arrest “an error in judgment,” and the department admitted that the boy’s treatment “violated” their policy, Action 5 News said.
At least one officer was fired following the backlash, the outlet reported.
A judge ordered the young boy to check in with a probation officer monthly, to take random drug tests, stick to a curfew, and to write a report on late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
Eason, however, refused to sign the probation agreement, and the case was eventually dismissed.
Now, the aggrieved mother wants to hold the city and the police accountable for what attorney Carlos E. Moore argued was a violation of the child’s 14th Amendment rights.
“This lawsuit is not merely a pursuit of justice for Q.E. and the Eason family; it is a call for accountability and systemic change within law enforcement practices,” Moore explained at a recent press conference.
“We firmly believe that every individual, regardless of age, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect by those sworn to protect and serve,” he added.
Racism likely played a role in Quantavious’ treatment, Moore told Action 5 News, noting that a white child would probably not be arrested for the same offense.
The lawsuit also accused Chandler, Jenkins, and the unnamed officers of using excessive force – and argued that Chandler failed to adequately train his officers.
The suit referred to Quantavious’ physical as well as emotional wounds, but did not specify exactly how he was supposedly hurt.
Richard Chandler did not immediately return The Post’s request for a comment. The rest of the defendants – including the City of Senatobia – could not be immediately reached.
“[The police are] supposed to serve and protect, but they’re not,” Eason lamented to Action 5 News.
This happened in Mississippi,” said Moore. “This happened in America. And we’re here to say to the City of Senatobia, you have to pay for what you did. Senatobia, you can pay me now or you can pay me later. But trust me, you will pay this family.”
