Father Guilty In Attack On Crossing Guard

LANSING (AP) - A jury found a Lansing man guilty Friday of assault and battery in the beating of a 73-year-old school crossing guard who broke up a fight between the man's 6-year-old son and another first-grader.

Darrell Livingston and his son's mother, Shareka McKinney, also were found guilty of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Lansing State Journal reported Friday.

The jury acquitted the 29-year-old McKinney of assault and battery charges in the March attack on James Thompson.

"I think they should have given her the same thing," Thompson said of the jury's ruling. "She's just as guilty as he is. (But) I do feel relief because they did get something. It was not a total waste of time."

Police said Livingston's and McKinney's son and a 7-year-old schoolmate at Lyons Elementary got into a fight on March 30.

The 26-year-old Livingston and McKinney were accused of setting up a rematch the next day, and yelling at their son to hit the other boy who was knocked to the ground.

When Thompson stepped in, he was punched in the face. Thompson suffered a chipped tooth.

McKinney said in April that her son had been bullied by the 7-year-old since January, and that he sustained scratches and scrapes on his face in the first fight in March.

Their attorney declined to comment Friday on the verdict.

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