Florida mom arrested for dunking boy in hotel pool is ex-cop who preached anti-bullying
Griffith was arrested on Dec. 19.
A Florida woman accused of holding a 6-year-old boy underwater at a hotel pool is a former police officer who once worked as a school resource officer and spoke to students about bullying, authorities say.
Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, was arrested earlier this month after an incident at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando. According to a police report obtained by WPBF, Griffith told officers she had previously worked in law enforcement. Investigators later confirmed she served with the Punta Gorda Police Department from 2013 to 2018 under the name Tiffany Lee Viola.
During her time with the department, Griffith worked as a school resource officer and received an employee-of-the-quarter award in 2016. Online posts show her speaking to students at Charlotte High School about bullying and sexting. A separate post from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office lists Viola as the school resource deputy involved in investigating a reported threat at a local high school.
The incident that led to Griffith’s arrest occurred on December 19. Authorities say she entered the hotel pool after seeing a child she believed was being too rough with her son. According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Griffith yelled at the boy and then placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him underwater for several seconds.
Security video obtained by ClickOrlando shows Griffith holding the child underwater for approximately two to three seconds. Police said the boy exited the pool visibly upset and bleeding from his nose and immediately reported the incident to his parents.
Investigators say Griffith then yelled at the boy’s mother before leaving the pool area. She was later arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse. Jail records show she was booked into the Osceola County Jail and later released on a $20,000 bond.
At a pretrial release hearing, Griffith’s husband testified that she was concerned for the safety of their 8-year-old son, who has autism. Prosecutors argued that Griffith posed a danger to the public and requested that she remain in custody.
A judge ordered Griffith to have no contact with the alleged victim or his family, avoid witnesses, stay away from the hotel, and refrain from consuming alcohol while the case proceeds.
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