They said they spent most of the evening walking around, checking out the lights and eating. It’s a favorite pastime for the two who said they visit the park at least once a month.
“The letter said, ‘as a result of your offense, you are not permitted on Kings Island property for a period of 1 year,’” read Jasmine Williams, Timothy’s mother.
According to Smith and Moore, the notice is wrong. They said while they were in the park they happened to run into a group of kids they knew. That group was approached by Kings Island security for causing some kind of disturbance and were ultimately asked to leave the park.
Smith said he saw the verbal argument happen but did not participate.
“They started running,” said Smith. “But I stood there because I didn’t do anything so I didn’t run.”
Smith claims he was never approached by security and never asked to leave. Sharmayne Moore, Jahere’s mother called the security department at King’s Island to get a reason for the suspension letter.
“I asked him, can I see the video to make sure you have the correct kids,” Moore asked. “He said, ‘there is no video.”
Both parents believe it’s a case of mistaken identity.
A spokesperson for the amusement park provided a statement regarding the incident:
“The incident you’re asking about is part of an ongoing investigation and I’m not able to provide much detail. What I can say is that Kings Island expects that all guests follow the park’s code of conduct, which can be found at: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/code-of-conduct. Anyone the security team determines has violated the code of conduct is subject to ejection without a refund.”
Both mothers said the park’s actions are unfair and that they are still concerned with how their children were identified and how they were singled out by their season pass swipe at the entrance gates if they were never approached by security.
“If you didn’t do that, then why are you being punished for that,” said Williams. “The kids who did it should be punished, not the whole group.”
WCPO reached out to the Mason Police Department to see if there were any disturbance calls made on Dec. 11 to the park. They said there were none.
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