(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Octavia Smith was full of rage, heartache and fear when she saw her son, Kankakee High School senior Kyarious Smith, arrested on his way to the school’s homecoming dance on Oct. 7.
That was according to a family member who read Octavia Smith’s statement to the Kankakee City Council — as Smith was in the hospital due to complications from sickle cell disease.
Police detained Kyarious Smith after they said he ran a stop sign, after which an officer found a 2021 warrant for riding a dirt bike on public roads and discovered that Smith had missed a court appearance.
Kankakee School District No. 111 Supt. Genevra Walters asked council members if the city wants to be known as a place that jailed an 18-year-old over a ticket he received when he was a kid.
After hearing the public statements, Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis defended the officer in what he called “an unfortunate situation.”
“I’m hearing this narrative from the outside that our officers are trying to push Black, male men to jail,” he said. “They are not. I will disagree with you there. We’re trying everything to go in the opposite direction.”
He said the officers cannot pick which warrants to enforce must follow the law
The mayor added that he doesn’t know why the warrant was in the system, but he praised Smith for handling himself well during the arrest and the department for getting him released that night.
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