John Jefferson
Inset, top to bottom: Jorge Rivera and Dagmarie Aponte Iturrino. Background: Rivera and Iturrino before they allegedly attacked a school resource deputy (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office).
A 46-year-old man and his 45-year-old wife were arrested in Florida for allegedly attacking a middle school resource deputy for filing battery charges against their son the previous day.
Jorge Rivera and Dagmarie Aponte Iturrino were both taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, disrupting a school function, and trespassing on school property after a warning, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Rivera also faces additional charges of robbery with a weapon, grand theft, and assault or battery on specified officials or employees.
According to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the couple on the morning of Nov. 19 went to Deltona Middle School to “protest their son’s battery charge for shoving a girl at school the day prior.”
“When Jorge didn’t like the outcome of the meeting, he became irate, started screaming at the deputy, and was asked to leave,” the release states. “In the hallway, Dagmarie pushed the deputy against a wall; then Jorge punched the deputy in the head, knocked her to the ground, and ripped her Taser from her hand. The deputy was able to stand up, draw her firearm, command Jorge to drop the Taser, and take him into custody.”
Authorities also added a hate crime enhancement to some of the charges against Rivera “due to a derogatory slur he called the deputy just prior to attacking her.”
A probable cause affidavit notes that during the encounter with the deputy, Rivera allegedly put the school principal “into a headlock and shoved him to the side,” resulting in the battery on a school official charge.
The sheriff’s office released body camera footage of the incident showing portions of the meeting between the parents and the resource officer inside an office in the school that precipitating the physical altercation in the hallway.
The three-minute footage showed Rivera in particular to be seemingly aggressive in demeanor from the start, with him quickly telling the deputy that she is “failing kids.” As Rivera continues to talk over the deputy and point his finger at her, she gets up and tells him they have to leave.
“Why are you this worthless. Do you feel proud that you are this worthless?” Rivera says while still in the office as his wife appears to try and hold him back. “Shut the f— up, because I pay your salary you dumb b—-.”
Rivera then calls the deputy a “worthless piece of s—” and says “no wonder you’re a f—– d—,” using a derogatory term for a lesbian, before exiting the office.
The deputy involved was reportedly treated for concussion symptoms at a local hospital and released.
“If you’re wondering why some kids show no fear of consequences in today’s society, look no further than these parents as Exhibit A,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a statement. “I’m glad they’re locked up, and I look forward to them being held fully accountable for this blatant attack on our deputy who was just doing her job.”
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