A former Florida police officer is facing possible jail time after authorities say she held a young child’s head underwater at a resort pool during a family vacation.
Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, was arrested and charged with child abuse following the incident at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee. She appeared before Osceola County Court on Tuesday and was released on bond.
According to a police report, Griffith was at the resort last Friday watching her 7-year-old autistic, non-verbal son play in the pool. Investigators say the boy had been splashing and playing with two other children when one of them allegedly pulled him underwater.
Witnesses told deputies the situation quickly escalated. Police allege Griffith jumped into the pool, began yelling at the other child, and then forcibly dunked the 6-year-old boy underwater for several seconds by holding his shoulders.
Security footage reviewed by investigators reportedly shows Griffith submerging the child’s head for two to four seconds. The boy was described as visibly shaken afterward and left the pool area with a nosebleed, according to witness statements. Griffith allegedly continued yelling at the child’s mother before leaving the pool.
Deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office responded to the resort around 4:30 p.m. Griffith was detained at the scene and later told officers she believed she was protecting her son.
During a bail hearing, Griffith’s husband defended her actions, claiming the other child had dunked their son more than once and that the parents were not supervising him. He testified that Griffith entered the pool to separate the children after their son came up crying and was allegedly pushed underwater again.
Griffith is no stranger to law enforcement. Under her maiden name, Viola, she previously worked as a police officer with the Punta Gorda Police Department from 2013 to 2018, serving as a school resource officer. During her time on the force, she appeared in school videos addressing bullying and was named employee of the quarter in 2016.
Originally charged with aggravated child abuse, prosecutors later reduced the charge to one count of child abuse. Griffith was released on a $20,000 bond and is barred from contacting the child involved or his family. She has also been ordered not to consume alcohol and is prohibited from returning to the resort.
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Release on Bond? – should had been placed in a jail cell until date of court trial for child abuse.
This must be another off judge.Thus woman is a dangerous person