A School Police Officer in Florida Was Arrested for Body Slamming a 15-Year-Old Student
Credit to Author: Emma Ockerman| Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:00:55 +0000
A school resource officer assigned to a Florida school for children with emotional needs was arrested Tuesday for grabbing a teenage student by the throat and slamming her onto the ground in September.
Ward Miller, a sheriff’s deputy with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, was charged with felony abuse without great bodily harm, according to NBC News.
Miller is now being investigated by the sheriff’s department’s internal affairs division. A judge granted him a $5,000 bond, but NBC saws it’s unclear whether he’s still in custody.
The department released a video of the Sept. 25 incident, which took place at the Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach, Florida.
The video shows a 15-year-old student tapping Miller on the leg with her foot and walking away. A minute later, Miller walks across the room, grabs the girl by the throat and slams her onto the ground. He then turns her over and throws her into another part of the room.
“The way the deputy responds, for whatever occurred, whatever type of verbal dialogue was going on, it makes no sense and wasn’t necessary,” Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony told NBC.
Tony told NBC that the school specializes in children with emotional needs but didn’t clarify whether the girl in the video had special needs.
The sheriff’s office suspended Miller without pay on Oct. 28. An attorney declined to comment to NBC News about the incident.
Cover: Image from surveillance video allegedly shows Broward County Sheriff's Deputy Ward Miller throwing a 15-year-old student to the ground. (Photo: Broward County Sheriff's Office)
This article originally appeared on VICE US.