By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
DELTONA, Fla. — A couple upset over their son being charged with battery at school is facing similar charges after they joined forces to attack a campus resource deputy, according to investigators.
The hallway brawl occurred Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Deltona Middle School, as the couple’s son looked on, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release. Deltona is about a 30-mile drive northeast from Orlando.
“The couple came to the school to protest their son’s battery charge for shoving a girl at school the day prior. When (the father) didn’t like the outcome of the meeting, he became irate, started screaming at the deputy and was asked to leave,” the sheriff’s office reported.
“In the hallway, (the mom) pushed the deputy against a wall; then (the dad) punched the deputy in the head, knocked her to the ground, and ripped her Taser from her hand. The deputy was able to stand up, draw her firearm, command (the dad) to drop the Taser and take him into custody.”
The parents were charged with “battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, disruption of school function, and trespassing on school campus,” the sheriff’s office said.
The boy’s father faces an additional charge of armed robbery and grand theft for grabbing the Taser, officials said.
“A hate crime enhancement was added to some of (his) charges due to a derogatory slur he called the deputy just prior to attacking her,” the sheriff’s office said. “The couple’s son was present for the entire incident.”
The deputy was taken to a hospital for treatment of concussion symptoms, officials said. Details of her condition were not released.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood lauded the deputy for remaining calm during “a violent attack” that could have turned deadly.
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