Knight High students charged in fracas
Three face misdemeanors, felonies
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Wednesday, November 21, 2007.
By AMIRA SEYOUM
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER – Prosecutors filed criminal charges against three students arrested after a Sept. 18 scuffle with campus security guards at Knight Hill School over thrown cake, a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Pleajhai Mervin was charged with misdemeanor battery on a school employee and misdemeanor assault on a school employee, Kenngela Lockett was charged with misdemeanor battery on a school employee, and Joshua Lockett, Kenngela’s brother, has been charged with threatening a public officer and making criminal threats, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor disturbing the peace.
The confrontation started with students throwing cake at a lunchtime birthday celebration, escalated to a broader conflict after a security guard told Mervin to pick up the cake and ended with the arrest of the three students and Mervin’s mother, Latrisha Majors. Prosecutors announced last week they would not file charges against Majors.
The charges against the girls carry a yearlong sentence, according to district attorney’s office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. She said she didn’t know the possible penalty for Joshua Lockett if he is convicted of all the charges filed against him.
The girls, who are not in custody, appeared in juvenile court Tuesday in Lancaster and denied the petitions against them – the equivalent of entering a not guilty plea in adult court. Joshua Lockett was taken into custody immediately after the incident because he was on probation from an earlier assault allegation at another school, officials said.
Mervin and the Locketts are scheduled to appear again in court on Jan. 7.
Majors did not want to make a comment, according to activist Najee Ali, who has been behind public rallies supporting the teenagers. He said the charges were expected.
“Even though they have done nothing wrong, we welcome going to court,” Ali said. “We look forward to going to court if the district attorney wants to foolishly continue going down this path.”
Majors and the teens have retained as their attorney Carl Douglas, a member of O.J. Simpson’s 1995 “dream team” of defense attorneys. They also have received statements of support from the Rev. Al Sharpton and
Charles Steele Jr., president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, who compared the Knight High arrests to those in Jena, La., where six black teenagers were charged in the beating of a white teenager at Jena High School in December. Those students were initially charged with attempted second-degree murder.
“We are confident Carl Douglas will make the district attorneys look like fools,” Ali said. “We are preparing to make Palmdale, Calif., the next Jena, La.
“This case has got the attention of all black America.”
Ali said he expects Sharpton to fly to the Antelope Valley in support of the students at their next court appearance.
