OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A woman arrested Friday is accused of pushing a 6-year-old boy under the water in a pool at Gaylord Palms, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Tiffany Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, faces a charge of aggravated child abuse, records show.
Deputies were called around 4:30 p.m. to a resort pool area after the child’s parents reported that their son was in the pool with another 6-year-old boy when “some type of altercation occurred,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson said in a statement to News 6.
A news release shared to the sheriff’s office’s social media offers more detail, stating three children were playing in the pool when “the splashing became aggressive.”
Griffith had allegedly entered the pool to yell at a boy who dunked her son underwater before placing her hands on that boy’s shoulders and pushing him under the water for several seconds, the sheriff’s office said.
“The victim exited the pool visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed and immediately reported the incident to his parents,” the post states. ”The suspect then began yelling at the victim’s mother before leaving the area.”
Veteran attorney Mark NeJame says even though people may be tempted to discipline someone else’s child, it’s not a good idea.
“If she touched that child, that was wrong,” NeJame said. “You don’t take the law into your own hands and teach that kid a lesson. It’s illegal, you don’t touch anybody without their consent, in a manner that is intended to cause some measure of harm.”
Griffith was being held on no bond at the time of this report, records show.
The Osceola County Clerk of Courts has a court appearance scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.
We reached out to the Gaylor Palm Resort and Convention Center, which is a part of Marriott Bonvoy, but have not heard back.
News 6 has requested more information. This is a developing story and may be updated.
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