Crime & Safety
Juvenile Detention Officer Slapped, Punched Teen Inmate: Sheriff
A juvenile justice detention center officer was charged with child abuse after slapping, punching a teen inmate, the Pinellas sheriff said.
CLEARWATER, FL — A juvenile justice detention officer was arrested after battering a 15-year-old inmate housed at the Pinellas Juvenile Detention Center, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The boy kicked his cell door on Tuesday after the detention officer, Anthony Sandora, 60, ignored his requests for assistance.
When Sandora opened the door and entered the cell, he slapped the teen and pushed him down onto a bed, witnesses told investigators. He threw all of the teen’s belongings into the hallway before leaving the cell.
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Sandora reentered the cell five minutes later when the boy began to intentionally flood it with water, the sheriff’s office said.
He grabbed the teen by the neck, pushed him back onto the bed and punched him in the face, according to deputies.
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The teen, who was uninjured during the incident, was moved to an isolation cell.
Sandora was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of child abuse.
He worked for the Department of Juvenile Justice for about 10 months and was fired after his arrest for violating the department’s policies.
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