A former cop faces jail for holding a child’s head underwater in a resort pool because he dunked her autistic son.
Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, was charged with child abuse and hauled before Osceola County Court in Florida on Tuesday, where she was released on bail.
The mother-of-two was on vacation at the four-star Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, Florida, last Friday and watching her seven-year-old autistic son play in the pool.
He was playing with two children who were ‘aggressively splashing’ each other, until one of them dunked him underwater, police wrote in their report.
Griffith jumped in and started yelling at the boy who dunked her son, then ‘placed her hands on the victim’s shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds’, police alleged.
Her actions were filmed by security cameras and show her holding the six-year-old boy’s head underwater for two to four seconds, the court heard.
Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, faces jail for holding a child’s head underwater in a pool at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, Florida, because he dunked her son
Griffith was charged with child abuse and hauled before Osceola County Court in Floridaon Tuesday, where she was released on bail.
The boy was ‘visibly upset’ and left the pool with a nosebleed, according to witnesses. Griffith then yelled at the child’s mother before leaving the pool area.
Osceola County Sheriff’s deputies arrived about 4.30pm and detained Griffith, who insisted she was defending her son, who is autistic and non-verbal.
Griffith’s husband defended her as he testified in court during Tuesday’s bail hearing, claiming the other boy dunked their son more than once.
‘Tiffany and I basically looked at each other and asked where this kid’s parents were, why they weren’t watching him,’ he said.
‘He came up crying. The kid pushed him under again. That’s when Tiffany got into the water and basically separated them.’
Her actions were filmed by security cameras and show her holding the six-year-old boy’s head underwater for two to four seconds
Griffith, under her maiden name Viola, was a policewoman at the Punta Gorda Police Department in 2013 to 2018 where she was a school resource officer
Griffith in court
Griffith, under her maiden name Viola, was a policewoman at the Punta Gorda Police Department in 2013 to 2018 where she was a school resource officer.
She appeared in videos lecturing school students on bullying, and was named employee of the quarter in 2016.
Griffith’s initial aggravated child abuse charge was reduced to one count of child abuse and she was released on a $20,000 bond.
She must not contact the boy she held underwater or his parents, must not drink alcohol, and can’t go near the resort.
