Sophomore Cody Withrow says an IPS police officer is making school an unsafe place for him.
"It was not as though she was an authority figure, she was trying to hurt me," the current Arsenal Tech student told Fox59.
Withrow was in class at Howe Schools, which was part of IPS last school year, when he got caught with a cell phone. He was sent to the office, where he refused to hand it over.
"When I told him I was not going to give up my phone, he told me I was suspended for five days," said Withrow.
Withrow said when he turned to go to the school's front desk to call his mother, an IPS police officer came up behind him.
"She grabbed my left hand and put her right hand on my shoulder and pushed me up against a pole," said Withrow. "Then she put me in cuffs."
Withrow used his phone to take pictures of what the cuffs left behind. Three months after the incident, Withrow is still having problems with his hand.
"You can see, even now, it still has slight discoloration there," said Withrow.
He also said he was forced to sit down in a chair after being handcuffed, causing back problems.
"Also I think I have something wrong with my middle and lower back because I cannot even bend over without getting a sharp pain," said Withrow.
Withrow switched schools…from Howe to Arsenal Tech. He was shocked to find out that same IPS police officer also moved to Tech. Withrow's mother had a different reaction.
"It makes me want to puke," said Shannia Withrow. "No child, where she is working at, is going to be safe."
The family has filed a complaint against the officer. They want her fired.
"I do not think it is safe for her to work with children with her mentality," said Withrow. "She seems to have a very authoritative mentality and I think she gets a rush out of it."
Fox59 is not releasing the name of the officer because she has not been formally charged with anything. The original IPS investigation turned up "insufficient" because investigators had difficulty getting in touch with Withrow's family.
After it was discovered that Withrow and the officer had been transferred to the same school, the IPS Police Department reopened the investigation.
