Teyrin Miller, aged 11, is claiming that he was the alleged victim of unprovoked bodily harm by an officer of the Hathian Police Department, identified as an Officer Cuthbertsson. His sister Dusk Miller, aged 13, has made some even more damaging claims over the officer’s behavior and that of social worker, Denise Domela. The shocking allegations could cause a lot of trouble for the HPD as what the Miller’s had to say may have some substance – as well as put city inspector Domela, 29, under the spotlight.
Teyrin Miller had been on his way to The Grind, in the mood for a hot chocolate. “They’re way too much money, but they’re pretty good.” Dusk Miller was on the search for her brother, wanting to talk to him: “All I wanted to do was talk to him. I all got there and there’s blood everywhere and this cop says he had an accident with his baton.”
Teyrin explained how he had been avoiding his social worker, Domela. “Missus Domella came running after me for some graffiti she says I did to a bus stop, but I swear to god I never spray pained a bus stup..” adding that, ” She hates me and my brothers because well she makes us do bad things for her and then we said we don’t want to do it no more she freaked. She wanted us to beat up an old bald man, she also paid us to smash up the arcade and for me to push some girl she didn’t like down a hill. If you don’t believe me, I got arrested, but nothing happened to me. No probation, nothing. Why would I get away with stuff if she wasn’t helping me?” These shocking allegations were predictably refuted by Domela. Claiming that “she turned on us cuz she couldn’t make us do things and she was inventing trouble.” Miller explained how Domela had been running after him, over the graffiti matter when he encountered an officer who told Domela to stop Miller as he ran. “she was yelling for him to get me I was scared cuz I knew I hadn’t done nothing bad..”
Miller was then struck by a baton to the head by Officer Cuthbertsson, using questionable force to stop the child from running, according to Miller and his sister. The officer admitted when questioned by bystanders as to his actions, that: “Well I cant use a taser on the kid now can I .. my use of me baton was purely a deterrent ploy to get the kid to comply.” Cuthbertsson, a rookie officer, also added that if anybody wished to pursue the matter to issue a statement to the police.
Teyrin and his sister Dusk live in Devil’s Pocket with their older brother Braiden, who they claim has been subjected to police brutality before. But most shockingly, Teyrin Miller alleges that Domela visited him in the hospital and, ” When I was in the hospital they had to do surgery and stuff so I didn’t die and when I was getting better, Denise Domella came into the ward.. she tells me how she is going to take me away so I won’t see my family, then she comes over and starts shaking me so hard. I though I was going to die.”
Domela had this to say about the Miller’s allegations: “It saddens me to hear such allegations coming from the very children I have been exhaustively trying to help and steer on the right path in our fine city. I love children and would never think of harming one, or putting any in danger.” She added that, “these particular children have a history that include several records of violence, vandalism, petty crimes and more recently I fear, tied themselves into gang activities.” and that she had tried to guide them through a “‘mentoring’ type program recently. It is a program currently in its infancy state, that I began between Civil Services and interested HPD officers who devote their off duty time acting as Big Brothers/Sisters to the troubled youths, such as the Millers. It’s goal is to hopefully get our children off the streets and back into schools, giving them focus and more importantly showing them that crime does not pay.”
While Domela has emphatically denied the allegations, the Millers seem to be more the victims at least in the case of Officer Cuthbertsson using his baton to strike down Teyrin Miller in order to stop him. When officers are using such examples of force on the youth of Hathian, is it so hard to imagine that as a result the direction for these youth will not go in the way that citizens and their parents and the HPD would like to see?
