PARKLAND, Fla. — A new bill filed this week aims to strip a former school resource officer of his retirement benefits.
Scot Peterson is a former deputy with the Broward County Sheriff's Office and was a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. During the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at the school, officials said Peterson was assigned to the campus and arrived outside the building where 17 people were killed.
Investigators said he drew his handgun, but never went inside to confront the shooter even after other deputies and police officers did.
Peterson previously told investigators he didn't know where the shots were coming from and that he heard only two or three.
Previous: Parkland parents enraged by 'coward' Deputy Scot Peterson's explanation for not entering school
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Peterson resigned and retired a week after the shooting. He started getting his monthly pension of $8,702 in April 2018.
HB 1091, filed by state Rep. Spencer Roach, calls for Peterson to "forfeit all rights and benefits" of his retirement as a sheriff's deputy.
The bill says Peterson "never called a Code Red over the school radio" and that the school's commission said he "fled to a position of personal safety while the gunman shot and killed...students and staff."
Roach's bill says Peterson is "guilty of wanton or willful neglect in the performance of his assigned duties" on the day of the shooting.
The bill will be introduced when the state legislative session starts on March 5.
What other people are reading right now:
- Florida groomer picks up tail of disabled veteran's service dog, spins it until it breaks: sheriff
- UFO spotted live on the news? Cameras capture strange object in the sky
- Man plans to live at Holiday Inn instead of nursing home because it’s cheaper
- Horrified Florida mom finds YouTube Kids videos showing school shootings, how to commit suicide
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
