Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of Michael Lashman, a school security officer who worked at Knights Elementary School and physically abused a student this week.
According to HCSO, a student became verbally disruptive on Wednesday and teachers were able to calm the child down. Multiple witnesses said Lashman, 57, then confronted the student, aggressively restrained them and pulled them into a building, where the student’s body struck a doorway and Lashman then pushed them against a wall. The student was not seriously injured and did not need medical attention, though there was minor swelling on the back of the head.
HCSO interviewed school staff and the student and issued a warrant for Lashman’s arrest. He turned himself in to Orient Road Jail Thursday night and is charged with one count of child abuse.
“I am horrified by this man’s cruelty toward a child,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a Friday morning press release. “Hired by the school district to protect our most precious citizens, this school security officer abused his authority to cause bodily harm and emotional distress to a student. I applaud the teachers who witnessed this violent encounter and reported it immediately.”