Mom Accused of Taking Things Too Far With Son's Alleged Bully

A Utah mother accused of going rogue in response to alleged bullying now faces felony charges. Prosecutors say Provo's Shannon Tufuga, 40, spent Sept. 17 driving around looking for an 11-year-old boy she believed had been targeting her son, then cut him off as he rode his bike, ordered him into her vehicle, and took him to her home without his parents' consent, reports NBC News. According to a criminal complaint, Tufuga compelled the boy—identified only as "KB"—to apologize to her child and allegedly warned that her husband could "beat up" the boy, adding that the youngster was "lucky" she hadn't run over his bike.

Tufuga returned the child home the same day, but prosecutors say the encounter caused him significant emotional distress and "high anxiety" and forced changes to his daily habits. Tufuga, for her part, tells KUTV that the child in question has bullied her children in the past, including her kids with disabilities, adding that she didn't feel her school district had adequately addressed her previous complaints. Cleveland.com reports that the son she says she was defending in this case is autistic. "It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in a position where we must defend the safety of our children and well-being," a statement from her legal team reads, per KUTV. "The filing of these allegations are a symptom of our society's failings and an erosion of traditional family values, where children were once held accountable by their own parents."

Nate Cripps of the Disability Law Center, however, says that's not the way situations like this should be handled. "I don't think anyone should take that level of action on their own," he notes. The school district, in turn, is keeping mum, citing privacy laws. Tufuga was charged on Monday with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse. Both are listed as first-degree felonies in Utah, but the complaint notes that charges in this case were reduced to second-degree counts "in the interests of justice," which carry potential penalties of one to 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, per NBC. It's unclear why charges were filed months after the incident. KUTV reports that, after an investigation by local police, Tufuga was relieved of her duties as a crossing guard for Provo City. She's said to be out of custody as she awaits an April 30 hearing.