TheeBadOne
January 6, 2003, 11:32 AM
Resource officer attacked by girls
The three middle schoolers were charged with felonies in connection with a lunchroom food fight that spun out of control.
By ADRIENNE P. SAMUELS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 27, 2002
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The three middle schoolers were charged with felonies in connection with a lunchroom food fight that spun out of control.
LARGO -- A middle school food fight took a turn for the worse when three 13-year-old girls attacked their school resource officer and were arrested and charged with felonies.
The lunchroom melee started about 2 p.m. Thursday at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, 6410 118th Ave. N, Largo.
Deputy Dennis Dotson said he was double-teamed by two girls while attempting to remove a third girl from the lunchroom, according to his police report.
"I took her left elbow and told her she needed to go," wrote Dotson. "As we started to move, (the girl) became combative and started to push and slap her way out. As I attempt to secure (the girl), two of her cousins approached me from behind. They both yelled "Let my cousin go," along with obscenities. . . At one point, I felt a hit to my back which was absorbed by my vest."
That was when Dotson, 26, pulled out his pepper spray and advised the girls to stand down. Teachers stepped in to control the two girls.
The kicking and slapping prompted the felony charges, police said.
"Battery is touching a law enforcement officer in a manner that (is inappropriate)," said Sgt. Greg Tita, with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. "They were climbing on the deputy's back. . . He knows he got smacked one good time in the back."
The girl first handled by Dotson was charged with disruption of school function, resisting a law enforcement officer with violence and battery on an officer. The other two girls were charged with battery on an officer. The girls were taken to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center.
The largest girl involved is 5 feet 10 and weighs 230 pounds, while the smallest girl is 5-6 and weighs 110, according to police. All three live in St. Petersburg.
Nearly 400 students were either participating or scrambling to leave the scene, according to police. Principal Linda Tucker came into the lunchroom to calm students down and then asked Deputy Dennis Dotson to remove one girl from the room, according to police.
After the deputy secured that girl in a separate room, extra teachers were called to help with the disturbance. The other two girls were secured and Dotson called for backup from Pinellas Park police.
Dotson told the principal by two-way radio to declare the school on lockdown and to keep all students in their classrooms and all doors closed.
"The students were out of control," Dotson wrote in his report.
Only when the other officers arrived and entered the lunchroom did the food-fighting cease.
"I . . . told students they needed to find a seat," the report said. "I advised students this behavior would not be tolerated and everyone needed to calm down."
Dotson will remain at the school, Tita said.
"The (school resource officer) has to learn how to handle and gain the respect of the students," Tita said. "This is the beginning of the school year. We have some rough edges to work through. Hopefully this was an isolated incident."
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/08/27/NorthPinellas/Resource_officer_atta.shtml
The three middle schoolers were charged with felonies in connection with a lunchroom food fight that spun out of control.
By ADRIENNE P. SAMUELS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 27, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three middle schoolers were charged with felonies in connection with a lunchroom food fight that spun out of control.
LARGO -- A middle school food fight took a turn for the worse when three 13-year-old girls attacked their school resource officer and were arrested and charged with felonies.
The lunchroom melee started about 2 p.m. Thursday at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, 6410 118th Ave. N, Largo.
Deputy Dennis Dotson said he was double-teamed by two girls while attempting to remove a third girl from the lunchroom, according to his police report.
"I took her left elbow and told her she needed to go," wrote Dotson. "As we started to move, (the girl) became combative and started to push and slap her way out. As I attempt to secure (the girl), two of her cousins approached me from behind. They both yelled "Let my cousin go," along with obscenities. . . At one point, I felt a hit to my back which was absorbed by my vest."
That was when Dotson, 26, pulled out his pepper spray and advised the girls to stand down. Teachers stepped in to control the two girls.
The kicking and slapping prompted the felony charges, police said.
"Battery is touching a law enforcement officer in a manner that (is inappropriate)," said Sgt. Greg Tita, with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. "They were climbing on the deputy's back. . . He knows he got smacked one good time in the back."
The girl first handled by Dotson was charged with disruption of school function, resisting a law enforcement officer with violence and battery on an officer. The other two girls were charged with battery on an officer. The girls were taken to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center.
The largest girl involved is 5 feet 10 and weighs 230 pounds, while the smallest girl is 5-6 and weighs 110, according to police. All three live in St. Petersburg.
Nearly 400 students were either participating or scrambling to leave the scene, according to police. Principal Linda Tucker came into the lunchroom to calm students down and then asked Deputy Dennis Dotson to remove one girl from the room, according to police.
After the deputy secured that girl in a separate room, extra teachers were called to help with the disturbance. The other two girls were secured and Dotson called for backup from Pinellas Park police.
Dotson told the principal by two-way radio to declare the school on lockdown and to keep all students in their classrooms and all doors closed.
"The students were out of control," Dotson wrote in his report.
Only when the other officers arrived and entered the lunchroom did the food-fighting cease.
"I . . . told students they needed to find a seat," the report said. "I advised students this behavior would not be tolerated and everyone needed to calm down."
Dotson will remain at the school, Tita said.
"The (school resource officer) has to learn how to handle and gain the respect of the students," Tita said. "This is the beginning of the school year. We have some rough edges to work through. Hopefully this was an isolated incident."
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/08/27/NorthPinellas/Resource_officer_atta.shtml