Court date set for Spring Valley High student

The court date for a student arrested during an altercation with a Spring Valley High School resource officer has been rescheduled for March.

Niya Kenny is scheduled to appear at the Pontiac Magistrate Office in Elgin at 9 a.m. March 28, court officials say.

Kenny was charged with disturbing schools during an Oct. 26 incident, after she says she encouraged classmates to film a physical altercation between a 16-year-old girl and former Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Fields. A student video showed Fields dragging the girl from her chair and sliding her across the room.

Fields was fired from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department after the incident. The FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the State Law Enforcement Division are investigating.

The court date for the other student, who also is facing a charge of disturbing schools, is not known. Her attorneys, including Todd Rutherford, a Richland County legislator, declined to discuss it due to the girl being a minor.

The punishment for disturbing schools is a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail.

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 1:38 PM.