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12-6-2022

An off-duty law enforcement officer was arrested Friday
afternoon after an altercation at a local charter school.

A parent of a student at the Tallahassee School of Math and Science and a law enforcement officer with the Florida Department of Financial Services, was charged with battery on a school official, a third-degree felony, and disturbing the peace and interfering with school administration functions.

There were no injuries and no students were involved, said Leon County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Angela Green.

Toribio-Batista, who was legally armed with a concealed weapon, allegedly went to the school’s front office and began to ask questions about the school’s guardian, according to the arrest report.

The charter school does not employ LCSO school resource officers and instead has a guardian, a trained and armed employee, on campus.

Toribio-Batista allegedly asked the front office staff about the guardian; where he was, what his job description was and whether the employee had arresting authority, according to the report.

When the guardian approached Toribio Batista, “he observed what appeared to be a bulge protruding from the male’s right side appendix area in what he believed to be a firearm concealed under his clothing,” the report states.

Toribio-Batista would not give his name and did not have his law enforcement identification with him, according to court records. When blocked from returning to the front office, he allegedly pushed the guardian to the ground, according to the report.

The guardian then drew his gun, and the school was put on lockdown, the report said.
“It was only after law enforcement arrived on scene when his firearm was removed from his person and secured thatJimmy identified himself as law enforcement personnel,” the report states.Toribio Batista was booked into the county jail and bonded out later that night.

In an email to parents, principal Ahmet Temel wrote: “At no time were there any threats made to our school nor was there an active assailant.

Law enforcement did however respond to our campus to deal with a situation involving a parent. It’s an unfortunate situation that escalated and had to be dealt with according to our safety measures.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Financial Services said Toribio Batista was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The guardian ensured the safety of the school and kids by following all protocols, when the suspect approached and refused to identify himself. The Guardian observed the bulge of a weapon on the suspect’s hip, which was an imminent threat, so he followed all protocols to protect the kids and the school. It is still under investigation and no further details are available.

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