By Lisa Rantala - bio | email
Posted by Lisa Strawbridge - email
TOLEDO (WTOL) - A Lucas County Sheriff's Deputy is under investigation after a Toledo family claims he beat their son at school.
The deputy works as a school resource officer at East Broadway Middle School in east Toledo.
Lucas County Sheriff's deputies started working as school resource officers inside Toledo Public Schools this month due to the TPD layoffs.
Wednesday morning, May 27, the boy's family came filed an internal complaint.
"You can actually see the finger of how hard he pressed on there," said father Juan Roman Sr.
14-year-old JJ Roman sits at home with his parents suspended the day after they say he was attacked. "The sheriff grabbed me by my arm back here," he told News 11.
He said it all started when a teacher thought he was using his cell phone in class. She took it away. He refused to leave, so she called the school resource officer, who is a Lucas County Sheriff's deputy. "He had choked me by my neck and threw me. I fell back like this and smacked my head on the cabinet," said JJ.
Roman said the deputy claimed to have felt threatened. He said the deputy then took him to the office. JJ said, "He's sick and tired of these f-ing little kids. On my way to the office, he told me to get my f-ing butt inside the office."
And at that point, Roman's mother was inside the school and claimed to witness some of the violence herself. "I'd seen his arms on him, but I didn't know he was holding him that tight," said Jesenia Aviles.
By the time she brought Roman home, she said she realized more had been done. "He said, 'My head is throbbing, feel my bump.' I said, 'What bump?' I put my hand up there and said, 'What the hell happened.'"
She took Roman to the hospital and noted marks on his neck, chest and back.
"We're shocked. We're angry. First of all, he's going to have to give us a public apology," said Juan Roman Sr.
The sheriff's office tells us they are investigating the incident internally and criminally. They say the deputy claims Roman fell back and hit his head while resisting the deputy. They also say there's a video tape showing the deputy taking Roman to the office that shows no violence at all.
"He had choked me by my neck and threw me. I fell back like this and smacked my head on the cabinet," said JJ.
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