A Colorado mother found an unusual way to settle a familiar back-to-school disagreement after her fifth-grade son refused to take a first-day-of-school photograph. Keenesburg resident Amanda Stolz wanted to capture a traditional picture of her son Colton before he headed to school on Monday, August 10, but the youngster was not interested in posing. Stolz then turned to local police officer Jack Ross, who agreed to participate in a playful prank. Ross jokingly ‘arrested’ Colton, briefly placing him in handcuffs and posing with him near a police vehicle. Photos shared by Stolz showed the boy laughing throughout the staged encounter. The mother later joked online that the officer had informed her son that refusing a first-day-of-school photograph was ‘against the law’. What began as a simple struggle over a school picture ended with an unusual memory that the family could look back on for years.
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Colorado mom gets creative after son refuses first-day-of-school photo
Amanda Stolz wanted a photograph to mark her son's first day of fifth grade, but Colton refused to cooperate. Rather than abandoning the tradition, Stolz decided to make the situation playful and asked local police officer Jack Ross to help. Ross agreed to take part in the joke, creating an unexpected back-to-school moment that gave Stolz the photograph she wanted. According to CBS Colorado, the encounter happened as Stolz was taking Colton to school. The playful encounter took place in Keenesburg, where Stolz said she wanted to preserve the familiar first-day-of-school tradition even though her son initially refused to pose for the camera. Ross played along by pretending that Colton had broken the law by refusing to give his mother a first-day-of-school picture. The officer briefly put the fifth-grader in handcuffs and walked him towards a police vehicle. The incident was not a genuine arrest, and there was no criminal charge against the child. Instead, it was a staged interaction designed to turn Colton's refusal into a joke.
Colton ends up laughing in handcuffs
Photographs shared by Stolz showed Colton smiling and laughing while wearing the handcuffs. Other images showed him sitting in the back of the police car, while Ross posed nearby. The photographs became the back-to-school pictures Stolz had originally wanted, although they were certainly different from the typical first-day-of-school photographs shared by parents.
Stolz later shared the photographs on Facebook and joked about the unusual circumstances. She said Officer Jack had informed Colton that refusing his mother a first-day-of-school photograph was ‘against the law’. Stolz also thanked Keenesburg police officers for the work they do in the local community and said moments like this could give children a different and more positive interaction with police.
Officer Jack says he enjoys connecting with children
Ross said he enjoys having fun with children and showing them another side of policing. Keenesburg Police Chief Jensen also praised the officers involved, saying he was proud of their ability to know when to be firm, fair and fun. He congratulated Colton on surviving his first day of fifth grade and joked that his mother had successfully obtained the ‘evidence’ she wanted.
Although the images show Colton in handcuffs and inside a police vehicle, the incident should not be confused with an actual criminal arrest. The police interaction was staged for fun, and the child appeared to enjoy the joke. The photographs capture Colton smiling during the encounter, turning an otherwise ordinary disagreement over a school picture into an unusual first-day-of-school memory.
