Two parents were arrested at Deltona Middle School on Tuesday after a physical altercation between them and a school resource deputy. The incident stemmed from civil charges levied against their son, who was accused of shoving a girl and bullying her. The parents, who objected to these consequences, were shown on video fighting the deputy over the disagreement.
46-year-old Jorge Rivera and 45-year-old Dagmarie Aponte were both booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on Tuesday, after what appears to be a vicious fight between them and the deputy. According to law enforcement, Rivera and Aponte took the deputy's taser from her, punched her in the face, and shoved her to the ground. She only regained control of the situation after drawing her firearm.
Rivera was seemingly frustrated that actions were not taken against the girl who'd been shoved, because she reportedly removed a shoe in preparation to fight back. Aponte was particularly criticized due to her job as a preschool teacher in Volusia County, from which she was suspended following her arrest. Rivera began to berate the deputy on camera, calling her a "piece of sh-t". This comment in particular was not well-received by the deputy's boss, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
"The only piece of sh-t in that video is the mother and father," Chitwood said. "They're the pieces of sh-t, they attacked my deputy, she suffered a concussion, and the caveat to all this...her ass deserved to be fired. She's a VPK teacher, I am not going to have pieces of shit like that come in and attack a deputy who was doing their job...and not expect that you're going to be held accountable for that."
Rivera was arrested on seven criminal charges: armed robbery, violently resisting arrest, battery on a law enforcement officer, trespassing on school property after being warned, disrupting a school function, grand theft between $750 and $5,000, and assault/battery on a specified official or employee. He posted his $42,000 bond and was released from jail on Wednesday.
Aponte was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, violently resisting arrest, disrupting a school function, and trespassing on school property after a warning. She posted her $11,000 bond and was released four hours after being booked on Tuesday.
The deputy who'd been attacked suffered a concussion, and will be on bed-rest for four days stemming from the incident, according to Chitwood. The sheriff expressed exasperation that one of his deputies was injured over a civil penalty that would go away after the couple's son completed whatever minor redress a judge deemed necessary.
