Florida boy who was handcuffed and 'perp walked' after alleged school threat has charge dismissed, mother says

An 11-year-old Florida boy who was handcuffed and paraded before television cameras last year has had a felony charge quietly dismissed after completing a diversion program, his mother told a local newspaper, saying the public humiliation has left the child afraid to leave the house.

Carlo “Kingston” Dorelli was arrested in September 2024 in Volusia County after deputies said he compiled a so-called "kill list," displayed knives and replica rifles during a FaceTime call and announced plans to shoot up Silver Sands Middle School, according to police accounts. He was charged with making a written threat of a mass shooting, a second-degree felony under Florida law, but his mother, Jesse Myerski, said prosecutors dropped the charge weeks later after he completed a six-week diversion program and admitted no wrongdoing.

Deputies who searched the boy's bedroom later displayed airsoft rifles, swords, knives and throwing stars on a table and pointed to a sheet of paper with classmates' names and what they said were stab marks next to some names, according to accounts of the seizure. A girl who was on the FaceTime call later told investigators she heard the boy announce plans to attack the school, prosecutors said at the time of the arrest.

Myerski told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that her son spent nearly two weeks in custody alongside older teens accused of violent crimes before prosecutors reassessed the case. She said there was no press release or public notice announcing the dismissal of the charge and that the publicity from his initial arrest has had lasting effects on the boy's daily life.

"He's trying really hard to get back to normal. He doesn't really like going out in public anymore, he thinks that everyone knows him from the media and the news," Myerski said. "He can't see a police car without getting scared. It's been a nightmare." She said he now sleeps on the living room couch and is reluctant to attend normal activities because of the attention surrounding the case.

The arrest and televised "perp walk" were part of a public campaign by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood to deter false or prank threats against schools by publicly identifying and shaming juveniles accused of such conduct. Speaking at a press conference and on the sheriff's official Facebook page after the September 2024 arrests, Chitwood defended the tactic, saying: "Every time we make an arrest, your kid's photo is going to be put out there. If I can do it, I'm going to perp walk your kid so everyone can see what your kid's up to. For the little bastards out there who think this is funny - you ain't that smart. You're getting caught."

Myerski and other parents said the policy has punished children before their cases were fully investigated or adjudicated. Since Carlo's arrest, the sheriff's office has publicly acknowledged that at least 14 other juveniles have been handcuffed, perp-walked and filmed as part of the campaign. Public records and videos of many of those encounters remain accessible even when charges are later reduced or dropped.

One other juvenile who was part of the same FaceTime chat was later charged in connection with the investigation, while Carlo's case was resolved through diversion, his mother said. Diversion programs typically require participants to meet conditions such as counseling, community service or educational modules; successful completion often leads to dismissal of charges and avoidance of a criminal conviction.

Legal experts and child advocates have expressed concern in other jurisdictions about the effects of public shaming and the release of juvenile images, citing developmental vulnerability and the long-term consequences of early involvement in the criminal justice system. Civil liberties groups have also questioned the routine release of mugshots and perp-walk footage for minors.

The Volusia County sheriff's office has defended the policy as a tool to deter threats and to signal that false or potentially dangerous online conduct will carry consequences. The office made the initial arrest and publicity highly visible last year; it did not immediately issue a public statement announcing the case's dismissal, according to Myerski.

The boy's mother said she hopes the dismissal will allow her son to recover, but she added that the damage from the publicity remains. "My son admitted to no wrongdoing, and after completing a six-week diversion program, the charge was dismissed," she said. "But the humiliation still lingers."

Officials in Volusia County did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the dismissal or the policies governing the release of juvenile booking images and arrest footage.