All Ryan Turk wanted was his carton of milk.
The teenager says he had forgotten to grab the drink the first time through the line at the Graham Park Middle School cafeteria, so he headed back. A recipient of free lunches at the Virginia school, Ryan felt he was just doing what he did every day.
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But a school resource officer said he spotted the teen cutting in line and accused him of stealing the 65-cent milk. When Ryan didn’t cooperate with a trip to see the principal, authorities say, he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and petit larceny. Ryan turned down an offer of non-judicial punishment and, this week, a Prince William County judge set a trial date in November for the Dumfries teen, who is now a freshman in high school.
He will face the criminal charges just days after his 15th birthday.
Ryan and his mother, Shamise Turk, acknowledge that he did take a carton of milk on that day last school year, but they say he was entitled to it and did nothing wrong. They, and their lawyer, allege that Ryan was discriminated against, targeted because he is a black teenager who didn’t want to go along with a police officer who they believe was being unfair.
The officer and the principal involved also are black, something the county noted in responding to the claims that the student was targeted by race.
The school resource officer told authorities that Ryan cut in the lunch line, took a carton of milk and concealed it. The officer confronted the student, and he reported that the student threw the milk back. When the officer suggested that the student needed to speak with the principal, he became disorderly, police said.
Sgt. Jonathan Perok, a Prince William police spokesman, said the middle schooler “leaned back and pushed against the officer,” and then as the pair approached the principal, the teen tried to “push past the officer to get away.”