Mother says student hit three times at Fort Hill and Cherry Street.

A Vicksburg mother said her disabled teenage son has been assaulted three times in about a month near his school bus stop and won’t return to class until Vicksburg police or school officials take action.

A suspect has been identified in one of the cases, but has not been taken into custody.

&#8220My issue is this: Can they get my child to school and back safely without this happening?” Cathy Causey asked. &#8220I’m going to pull him out of school until they have a resolution.”

Ronald Bell, 16, is a special education student at Warren Central High School. The bus he rides picks him up near the junction of Fort Hill Drive and Cherry Street at the Glass Bayou bridge.

He lives about 300 yards up Fort Hill in the 600 block, his mother said, and its on the way to and from the bus stop that attacks happen.

&#8220My problem is with the school bus,” Causey said. School officials &#8220say what happens before and after getting on and off the bus is not their problem. They say they can’t come up this hill because the bus can’t turn around up here.”

The latest of three attacks was reported on the afternoon of Sept. 12, when one of Ronald’s classmates, a 17-year-old, beat him badly enough to send him to River Region Medical Center, she said.

&#8220He was passed out and convulsing,” Causey said. &#8220He had bruised ribs and ants were all over him. When I got down there, 15 to 20 kids were standing around him.”

Sgt. Jimmy Sweet, the Vicksburg Police Department’s juvenile supervisor, said Causey has filed a complaint. No arrest has been made.

&#8220I called the (suspect’s) mother and asked her to bring the child in,” Sweet said. &#8220At that point, I will arrest that child and send him to Youth Court. But when we arrest him and send him to Youth Court, it may be a week before they hear his case.”

Youth Court hears matters involving those under age 18 and their parents, including cases of alleged delinquency, abuse and neglect.

Dr. James Price, superintendent of the Vicksburg Warren School District, said officials have responded to Causey’s complaints.

&#8220All I can tell you is that her son had been assaulted and we contacted the Youth Court to make sure reports had been filed and action would be taken,” Price said. &#8220We contacted the principal of his school to make sure there would be no further contact between these kids at school. We are also looking into different busing of these children.”

However, the issue of jurisdiction arises when students get into trouble before and after school, Price said.

&#8220It’s a gray area. Once that school bus leaves and the students walk to their homes, what can we do? We can’t police the community. That’s the police department’s job.”

But when students are involved in misconduct, Sweet said, they are usually handled differently than adult suspects.

&#8220On juveniles, we don’t go and just handcuff them and run them off to jail,” he said. &#8220In cases like this, we give the parents an opportunity to bring the kids in. But you can’t sit around for two or three months. We’ll come and get you.”

Causey said she is afraid if the suspect isn’t arrested soon, the attacks will continue.

&#8220The kid who did this last time is in one of his classes,” Causey said. &#8220The boy is large, and if he’s been contacted by police, he might take revenge.”

Youth Court records and proceedings are confidential except cases in which youngsters are convicted on criminal charges in a separate court for adults and the judge of that court requests to review them before deciding on sentences.