MASON, Ohio — Two families said a fun night out at Kings Island was overshadowed when one week later they received suspension letters, but the banned teens said they did nothing wrong.
Season pass holders Timothy Smith and Jahere Moore were dropped off around 6:30 p.m. on December 11.
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.
They were both shocked to learn they would be banned from the park for the next year.
“The letter said, ‘As a result of your offense, you are not permitted on Kings Island property for a period of one year,'” said 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 a 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 Kings 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. They said they are concerned with how their children were identified and how they were singled out by their season pass swipe at the entrance gates, despite never being approached by security.
“If you didn’t do that, then why are you being punished for that,?” asked 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 December 11 to the park. They said there were none.
