Florida mom arrested for dunking 6-year-old boy in hotel pool is ex cop who lectured about bullying
Tiffany Lee Griffith, a 36‑year‑old former law‑enforcement officer from Fort Myers, was taken into custody on Dec. 19 after she reportedly threw a six‑year‑old boy underwater at the Gaylord Palms hotel in Orlando. The incident happened when the child repeatedly shoved her eight‑year‑old son—who has autism—near a pool, prompting Griffith to intervene.
Griffith told police she had once worked for the Punta Gorda Police Department under the name Tiffany Lee Viola from 2013 to 2018. During that time she served as a school resource officer and even earned the department’s Employee of the Quarter award in 2016. She can be seen in online posts addressing high‑school freshmen on the dangers of bullying and sexting, and was named as a deputy investigator in a Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office notice from 2016.
Security footage later shown by ClickOrlando documents the moment Griffith, visibly agitated, waded into the pool and held the boy down for about two to three seconds—a duration she describes as “several seconds.” The child emerged from the water visibly upset, with a nosebleed, and told his parents what had happened. Griffith then shouted at the boy’s mother and left the area before police arrived.
She was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse, booked at the Osceola County Jail, and released on a $20,000 bond later that week. During her pre‑trial release hearing, her husband testified that she was worried her son could have been harmed. The state argued that Griffith posed a public danger, and the judge agreed, imposing restrictions that include no contact with the boy or his family, no contact with witnesses, and prohibiting her from returning to the scene or consuming alcohol.
Griffith’s case highlighted the irony that a former police officer, once trusted to educate students about bullying, resorted to violent retaliation for a child’s aggressive play.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
