What to Know
- A school resource deputy with the Broward Sheriff’s Office has been arrested on a child abuse charge, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said.
- Deputy Willard Miller was caught on surveillance video slamming a student to the ground, Tony said.
- Miller, who worked at Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach, has been suspended without pay.
A school resource deputy with the Broward Sheriff’s Office has been arrested on a child abuse charge after he was caught on surveillance video slamming a student to the ground.
Deputy Willard Miller, who worked at Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach, was arrested on a felony charge of child abuse without great bodily harm, Sheriff Gregory Tony announced at a news conference Tuesday morning.
Tony released surveillance camera footage that showed the deputy grabbing the 15-year-old girl by the neck and throwing her to the ground in a room at the school back on Sept. 25.
There was no audio on the video and Tony said he didn't know why the student was in the room or what happened before Miller slammed the girl to the ground.
"The way the deputy responds, for whatever occurred, whatever type of verbal dialogue was going on, it makes no sense and it wasn't necessary," Tony said.
Willard, 38, has been with BSO since August 2016 and was assigned to the school in February 2018. He has suspended without pay until the investigation is concluded.
Miller appeared in bond court Tuesday, where his wife sat in the audience. His attorney said he has two children and no criminal arrest history.
The judge gave Miller a $5,000 bond, and his attorney declined comment.
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