More On: Daniel Marquez
Daniel Marquez, a 10-year-old boy from Florida who was arrested for threatening to shoot up a school, pleads not guilty
Monday, the 10-year-old boy who was taken into custody by a Florida sheriff's office after an alleged threat to shoot up a school pleaded not guilty.
Daniel Marquez, a first-grader who was led out of a police station in handcuffs, was with his father when he went to Lee County juvenile court to enter his plea.
After the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May, which led to Marquez's arrest, he got a lot of attention as a small suspect.
Officials said that Marquez told a friend via text message that he had "scammed" someone out of a lot of money and posted a picture of guns along with the boast.
Deputies said that the boy later told his friend to "get ready for water day," which was a school-sponsored event.
His father and lawyers said the Lee County Sheriff Lee Marceno made a mistake by telling the public about the arrest.
Dereck Marquez, the dad, says that the reference to "water day" was not related to the other messages.
Letitia Kim of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, who is speaking up for the boy, said this again on Monday.
“Daniel Marquez is an innocent 10-year-old child who has been falsely accused and publicly maligned by the Lee County Sheriff,” she said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
But Marceno has staunchly defended the arrest and its aftermath, arguing that the threat was clear and called for stiff treatment.
“As sheriff, the safety and security of our students and schools in Lee County has been my top priority,” he told The Post last month. “We act immediately to investigate any and all threats against our students or schools.”
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