Source: Nia Noelle / Nia Noelle
via CBS
The Florida deputy who failed to confront a gunman during last year’s Parkland massacre has been arrested on 11 charges, prosecutors said Tuesday. Scot Peterson, 56, faces child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury charges, State Attorney Mike Satz said in the announcement.
Peterson, then a Broward County deputy, was on duty during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but never went inside. Satz said the charges carry a combined prison sentence of nearly 100 years. Peterson’s bail was set at $102,000. Once released, Peterson will be required to wear a GPS monitor and surrender his passport, and will be prohibited from possessing a firearm, the prosecutor said.
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 not guilty in return for a life sentence, but prosecutors have refused that offer. Peterson, the only armed officer at the school the day of the attack, was seen on video remaining outside the school building as shots rang out.
