Prosecutor: Perth Amboy preteen pleads guilty to stabbing 11-year-old
Authorities say the child, whose name was not released, confronted and assaulted 11-year-old Smailyn Jimenez following some sort of dispute at school.
An 11-year-old boy from Perth Amboy has pleaded guilty to stabbing another 11-year-old boy as they were walking home from school, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities say that the preteen pleaded guilty to charges that if committed by an adult would constitute aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Officials say that the incident happened on Feb. 22. They say the preteen, whose name was not released, confronted and assaulted 11-year-old Smailyn Jimenez following some sort of dispute at school.
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Jimenez was hospitalized after being stabbed in the abdomen but has since recovered.
The preteen was held at the Middlesex County Juvenile Center following the attack. He pleaded guilty on April 19. He was sentenced on May 24 to three years of probation, with the condition that he attended and completed a residential treatment program.
The attack sparked outrage in the Perth Amboy community, with many teachers, parents and students noting a culture of violence in the Perth Amboy School District. This eventually led to metal detectors being installed at Perth Amboy High School.
