Deputy charged after staying outside during Parkland shooting

By Curt Anderson and Terry Spencer The Associated Press

6 years ago

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2015, file frame from video from Broward County Public Schools, school ... — FILE – In this Feb. 18, 2015, file frame from video from Broward County Public Schools, school resource officer Scot Peterson talks during a school board meeting of Broward County, Fla. Peterson, the then-Florida sheriff’s deputy assigned to protect the high school where 17 died in a 2018 shooting has been arrested on 11 charges, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. State Attorney Mike Satz announced that 56-year-old Peterson faces child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury charges. (Broward County Public Schools via AP, File)

MIAMI — Prosecutors say the Florida deputy who failed to confront a gunman during last year’s Parkland massacre has been arrested on 11 charges.

State Attorney Mike Satz announced Tuesday that 56-year-old Scot Peterson faces child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury charges stemming from his actions during the shooting. Peterson, then a Broward County deputy, was on duty during the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but never went inside.

Satz says the charges carry a combined prison sentence of nearly 100 years. Peterson’s bail was set at $102,000.

A Peterson lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nikolas Cruz, 20, faces the death penalty if convicted of killing 17 people and wounding 17 others in the attack. He has offered to plead guilty in return for a life sentence, but prosecutors have refused that offer.