Wait, did she say >> is that not her name? >> HEY GUYS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? >> She hasn't ate in 2 days. Has not been treated very well. Your hands behind your [screaming] >> On August 21st, 2025 in Athens, Georgia, a fight at school ended with a 12-year-old and her mother arguing at home. By 9ine that night, there were officers at the door on a reported domestic dispute. The officers wanted one thing from the mother before they went any further, and she would not give it to them. her name. >> She want to step outside and talk to me. >> What's going on? >> I guess I got in a fight today at school, but I didn't know my mom. So, I came home and she was like, "You already get in trouble." I going to def stuff and saying that I knew she was the girl was in the bathroom. cuz I me I if I do something I mean I would been playing but nothing was playing really. So I walked in the bathroom and the girl punched me and so we started fighting and she I guess I was fighting over a boy but I don't know what fight started cuz she just hit me first and so then um sorry and so then that's when I came home and then she had me and then she was like she going to get my big sister that's coming to um beat me up and stuff. So I want to have a lot of stuff to say and I said I didn't do anything. She like, "Shut up, call me B and celebrities and stuff like that." And I was text my post cuz I didn't want her. She already took my phone cuz she didn't know I had my iPad and I was scared and she was saying I bought my own phone so she was going to give it give it out and stuff like that and I'm just scared. And then this is my first time cuz last time I caught she went to jail and because I know before that I had ran away cuz of stuff she was doing to me. But I'm just giving my little sister. I'm scared. Am I in trouble? >> No. >> That is one side of it. And nobody had checked any of it yet. The officer's next stop is the mother. And it does not stay a conversation about the daughter for long. >> So, can I come in real quick so your baby doesn't escape? >> No. No. What's No, you This is not my house. No. >> Okay. So, what's going on between you and your daughter? >> What do you mean what's going on? What did she say? >> I don't know. You tell me. >> I don't know what's going on. >> She got suspended from school, took her phone, and she's mad. >> Okay. Were you hitting her or anything like that? >> Yeah. >> Okay. What? I guess I'm I'm a little confused as to >> This is not the first time she's sold. Stop. Okay. What is your name? >> Um, I don't want to. >> No, you have to give me your name. >> Oh, I don't. >> Okay. I'm going to take you to jail, friend. >> No, I'm not. >> Okay. >> You can't come in. This is not my >> I need your name. There's an allegation of a crime. >> What kind of crime? What type of crime? >> If you'll come out here and talk to me. >> What type of crime? There's an allegation of a domestic dispute of who? >> A domestic dispute between you and your >> between you and your daughter. >> Come here. >> No. Stop. >> So, in order for me to properly investigate that, I need to know who you are. You have to identify yourself to me. Otherwise, I'm going to arrest you. >> Okay. >> Are you going to identify yourself to me? >> Mhm. >> Okay. Are you hurt anymore? >> No. >> Okay. >> Wait, what did she say? >> Smith. >> Is that not her name? What's her name? >> She has no last name. >> Oh, no. I'm looking. >> All right. So, she's g She gave me a fake name. She's been combative. She does or not combative. Disorderly. doesn't want to let us inside of the house to investigate the domestic. We've been talking to her in the doorway to give her some respect. I don't think anybody's in danger inside. We have simple battery charges, maybe at best. Simple battery at best. That is an officer telling his supervisor the criminal case is thin and Georgia law backs him up. The family violence battery statute carves out reasonable corporal punishment by a parent. So, a mother disciplining her own child does not become a crime by itself. The officers had almost nothing on the domestic call and they were not leaving. >> So, I'm officer Tucker. I'm the officer for the complex here. Um, do you have anything with your name on it? >> No, I don't even live here. This is my daughter's apartment. >> Who's your daughter? >> And what was your name? >> Tanya. >> Is it Is it a Tanya or Tanya? >> It's Tanya. >> There's no A on the front of it. It's just Tanya. Do you have a sister whose name is Tanya or something? >> No. >> Okay. How do you spell the full name? >> T A N Y. >> There's no A on the front of it. >> No. >> What's your middle name? >> And you have no like debit card, credit card, anything that says your name on it? >> So, I think this is who we're going to be talking to. >> Does she have a warrant? >> She's got like she's got like 87 warrants. Um she has some out of Athens, but she has warrants out of everywhere. Right now >> in Georgia, there's a difference between refusing to hand over ID and lying about who you are. The second one is a crime. Under state law, giving an officer a false name or birth date to mislead them is a misdemeanor. That is what the officers are now saying she did. >> Hey, [music] >> okay. So, can you step out here for me? Just come over here out of the kitchen. >> Okay. What's going Come back. Uh, Charles, what's going on? >> Just come over here, please. >> I don't feel safe moving until my people leave you. Please. >> You have warrants. >> You're not Tanya. >> Put the phone down. >> You are Tanya, but you have warrants and you gave me a bad birthday. >> So, put the phone down and put your hand back. >> Oh, you want that back? >> Let's not make this an issue in front of your child. >> Wait, they're talking to me. Jamie, >> we are not talking. >> His cameras are on. >> Put your hands. >> HE GOT HIS HAND AROUND MY NECK. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? >> PUT hands behind your back. [screaming] JUST >> stop resisting. [screaming] We're going into Let go of my handcuff. You're going to get your finger pinched. >> STOP BLEEDING MY ARM. >> WELL, you would argue. >> Keep walking, please. >> I don't know. >> All right. Now, we are going to go outside and you're going to walk. And again, I'm going to walk you because you're not walking. No, we're not. No one's touching you other than my hand by my neck. >> That was the wrong officer. Nice try. Keep walking. >> Okay. >> Why are y'all dragging me? >> I'm either going to drag you or you walk. Would you like to walk like an adult or >> CAN YOU GET MY PHONE, PLEASE? >> Now we want favors. Let's roll. >> I'm asking for my phone. What do you mean? I'm just my phone. >> Let me get my baby kiss, please. >> No. >> Please. >> You're going to go through all that. Now you're going to ask for favors. >> You lost that when you decided to resist. With the mother in custody, the officers have a second problem they cannot walk away from. Georgia lets an officer place a child in protective custody. And legally, that is not an arrest. That is where this ends up. If nobody else steps in before the state gets involved, somebody in this family has to say yes. >> Can I get your name and date of birth, please? >> My name is Jerica. >> Can you spell Jerica for me, please? >> J E R R I Z A. >> What happened? What's going on? What a daughter. probably over there by the coach or sitting right here. So, >> cuz she called you for taking care of the kids. >> No, that's what I'm saying. I don't even know how this going to work. I just I' I've been I've been locked up 9 months. I only been home 60 days. I've been in Foright County. I don't know what she I don't know. >> But you're Athens local, right? >> Yeah. >> Does she But she has people here that Do you know them by any chance? >> No, she don't. Her mama saying come, but her mama her mama is not going. You call my stepdad. Y'all going to have to call her stepdad. I don't know. I don't know. I literally don't know. >> Are you willing if she wants you to take the kids too? >> I mean, I'm I'm going have I'm going just have to do what I got to do because I mean, >> here's You don't have to. We We have >> I don't I mean, I don't I don't got no choice because what's going to happen? You know, your mom going to be gone for a long time. Years. Ain't no one year, ain't no two years. You might I don't know what you thinking. You going to regret that for the rest of your life. I think her mother's actions resulted in her mother's consequences. >> I don't know. >> I I think that's exactly what happened. I don't think we can blame this child for another person getting arrested on warrants that they already had. >> It's not our >> I just have a lot of issues with what she said. I want you to understand that nothing that has happened with your mother involving us is in any way your fault. Do not think that your mother made decisions and I think you and I can both agree that they had legal consequences. Therefore, they were poor decisions. Now, she has the consequences for those decisions. >> That's true. >> This is in no way your fault. She knew they were bad decisions. She knew she was in [clears throat] trouble. And then she lied about who she was so that she wouldn't be Hey, people live there, sweetheart. Come over here, please. >> Yeah, absolutely. I'll go inside. I just don't want you to feel that way, girl. >> Hey, is it okay if your kids go with Jerica so they don't have to go to DeAs? >> Oh, no. To go to Dex. >> Why? She's to go to Nobody wants her. >> She's willing to take them. >> No, she's she's to take chosen to go to defect. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Can you this your folks? >> Yeah. This is crazy. I'm going to jail. I'm in the back of the police car. I already called the police on me. You caught the room? >> Yeah. >> Is this Is this your parents? >> No. Hang on. >> Okay. >> Damn. Damn. Yeah. >> Hey, you're a liar. >> Yeah. >> Can you uh to go to defects? No one is to get her. >> Hello. >> Hello. Are y'all Do y'all want No, nobody wants >> She needs to go to defects. >> No, we do not want No, we do not want to. The word everybody keeps saying is DFCS. That is Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services, the state child welfare agency. If nobody in this family takes the girl, DFCS is who decides where she goes tonight. >> Yeah. Jamie Jamie chang said he not coming. >> Yeah. He said he's not getting her. He just told him the same thing. See, she wants to go this way. She knew she should have thought about all of this. She knew what what type of predicament I'm in. Let her let her get a reality check. That's when I was texting other than coach Bill, which is my grandma that I live [snorts] with all my life cuz me, my mom, my dad, we really don't be around each other much. So that's why my mother and that's the one. >> The important thing is is that you're okay. All right. Your mom made a choice. This isn't your fault at all. Okay? >> I don't want to get in trouble. >> You're not in trouble. Okay? My grandpa will get mad at me. >> I I will talk to them. >> Got mad at you. >> It's I promise I can't promise you anything, but I I can tell you from experience that things get better. >> The worker asks for a grandparents number before anyone talks about removal. Georgia law puts the burden there on purpose. A court has to weigh whether a reasonable alternative existed before a child goes into foster care. And if she is taken into care and not sent home, a judge reviews it inside 72 hours. Every phone call happening here is an attempt to keep that clock from starting. Um, so where we're at now, we've called defects, but now we're hearing that maybe a grandma is coming. I spoke to grandpa on the phone and he said, "Absolutely not. She's too much of a problem. We're not taking her." Blah, blah, blah. So, we're just trying to figure out what we're going to do with Grandma is coming down here. That's good. That's what defac >> I got some visitors for you. Okay. >> You remember me? >> Hey. >> Hey. How are you? >> All right. >> Let me ask you this. When was the last time you you had something to eat? I usually be eating breakfast. I think the day before yesterday. I don't >> That was the last time that you had food. >> I eat I eat school at some time. >> I don't really be eating at home. I don't know why. >> Okay. >> But we do we do have food to eat. >> Are you hungry? >> Are you hungry now? >> I think she had made some sausage chicken. >> Okay. I'm gonna step out for a second there. Stay in here with the >> Hey, this this girl hasn't ate in like two days. Will you do me a favor? I'll stay here with her. Just get her a cheeseburger meal or something. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> She hasn't ate in two days. So, I'm giving her food. We'll have a conversation. Here, come get your food. >> Sit down and chill for a little bit. Okay. I got to talk to your grandma for a minute. >> How are you, >> Officer? Serene. >> Lisa. >> Nice to meet you, Lisa. So, I'm going to try to explain. Are you a mom? >> No. But I do have guardians over her. >> You have what? >> Guardians. >> Guardianship. >> Uh-huh. >> Okay. All right. Wonderful. That's the only reason why I'm here. >> So, um, ATA is going to jail. Um, cuz she has warrants out of 12 different jurisdictions. >> Yeah. Mhm. >> Um, and she also resisted arrest tonight along with some other stuff. So, she's not going to be out for a while. Now, a time when it was trying to be vindictive to put her into foster care and defects don't operate like that. >> Yeah. See, >> what I do want to tell you is has not been treated very well. Grandma here has expressed to me that you have been you have acted out for her before and have not been very kind and cordial, right? Is that something that we can all agree on here? >> Mhm. >> Okay. All right. What I need from you, okay, is I need you to respect your grandma. I need you to listen to what she says, okay? You may not like it, but it's the hand that you got to deal with for right now. Okay? Sir, >> your relationship I think we can agree with your mother is not a very healthy one and I don't want to [clears throat] have to see you return to that situation, right? Because the next steps after that are not steps that I want to even explain to you. >> What the officer said on scene was dozens of outstanding warrants across 12 jurisdictions. She went to jail [music] on those. A woman who told officers she had guardianship came for the girl after most of the family had already said no. One officer said he did not think anybody inside was in danger and that the case was simple battery at best. He kept pushing for her name anyway and that push is what put her in handcuffs. Was that the right call? Tell us where you land in the comments.