Former Broward Sheriff's deputy charged with abusing high school student
Ronald Thurston, 48, is due in court next week to face charges of aggravated child abuse and felony battery, which could land him in prison for decades if he is convicted. After a Feb. 10 hearing his bond was set at $26,000 and he was released from the Broward Main Jail.
According to the charges, the incident took place on Feb. 3 at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach. While a detailed account was not yet included on the Broward Clerk of Courts web site, the State Attorney's Office indicated Thurston struck a child and caused 'great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement.'
His lawyer is not yet identified in court records.
Thurston took the security job at Blanche Ely High School after he was dismissed from the Broward Sheriff's Office in 2022. Two years earlier he was accused of shoving the head of a handcuffed man up against a patrol vehicle after threatening to stun him with a Taser.
No charges were filed against him at the end of the Internal Affairs investigation, but Sheriff Gregory Tony dismissed him after 23 years on the force.
Thurston had been an outspoken critic of the sheriff and made public comments questioning the agency's record on diversity.
The Broward school district reassigned Thurston after his early-February arrest.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net/@rafael.olmeda
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Officer, what's your badge number?': El Paso police bodycam video shows fatal I-10 arrest
A newly-released El Paso police body camera video shows a struggle quickly intensifying, ending in the death of a man on Interstate 10. Xavier Guadalupe Hernandez, 30, was on the side of a busy I-10 freeway, apparently threatening to jump over the ledge above the Yarbrough Drive overpass, when an officer arrived on July 13 on the East Side, according to an EPPD video of the incident released on Monday, Aug. 18. Hernandez's death was deemed a homicide by the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy report stated his death was caused by "asphyxia due to chest compression during law enforcement subdual and restrain" with cocaine toxicity as a "significant contributing condition." Three separate investigations by the El Paso Police Department's Crimes Against Persons Unit, Internal Affairs and the Texas Rangers of the Texas Department of Public Safety continue looking into the death, police spokesman Sgt. Robert Gomez said Monday in the 11-minute EPPD video, including body camera video. "Conclusions on whether the officer's actions are consistent with the law and department policy will not be made until all facts are known and the investigation is complete," Gomez said on the video statement. The names of the officers involved have not been disclosed. More: El Paso medical examiner rules man who died in police struggle as a homicide The body camera video begins at 10:13 a.m., showing a police officer driving up to the median and then seeing Hernandez on the other side of four freeway lanes of traffic on the edge of the overpass. Hernandez is wearing a sweaty blue T-shirt and gray shorts. He has no shoes on, only black socks and appears agitated. "Someone call 911, please," he repeatedly yells as the officer walks up to him. The officer tells him that help is here, according to the video. 'Officer, what's your badge number?' The video shows the officer telling Hernandez to sit down, but the situation intensifies when the officer attempts to grab Hernandez by his arms and Hernandez pulls away. "Officer, what's your badge number?" Hernandez repeatedly begins yelling. "Get the (expletive) down or I'm going to tase you," the officer yells, drawing his yellow Taser electric stun gun as Hernandez gets on his knees, his hands on the top of his head, the video shows. The officer orders Hernandez to lie down. He doesn't and the officer deploys the Taser as Hernandez yells, continuing to repeatedly say "Officer, what's your badge number?" The first Taser shot is at the 10:14:51 timestamp on the body camera video. There are repeated Taser shocks as a struggle continues with Hernandez still on the ground. "Get the (expletive) down!," the officer yells on the video. More: Man's death in I-10 struggle during El Paso police arrest under investigation Body camera time 10:15:51: A man in a black T-shirt and black baseball cap runs up to help the officer wrestle Hernandez, who is on his back, teeth clenched and refusing to roll over onto his stomach. "Roll over (expletive)," the officer orders. "Officer, what's your badge number?" Hernandez keeps repeating in between screams before the officer and two other men are able to pin him down on the asphalt, the video shows. The officer never tells Hernandez his badge number. Eventually, other police officers arrive and Hernandez is held down on the shoulder of the freeway. "Help me," Hernandez appears to say as he is held down as police officers discuss getting shackles to transport him in an ambulance. "Chill out," someone tells Hernandez, who has become quiet. Body camera time 10:27:23: A police sergeant is holding Hernandez facedown with another officer at his legs. Hernandez, by that time, is handcuffed behind his back. "He's not breathing, man," an officer said on the video after another officer noticed that Hernandez was not breathing and he was rolled over. A police officer begins CPR, which is then continued by a paramedic already at the scene. Hernandez was taken to nearby Del Sol Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@ and @BorundaDaniel on X. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso police bodycam video shows death of man in struggle with officer
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Daycare worker charged with first-degree child abuse and battery: ‘Every parent's worst nightmare'
A daycare worker is facing charges of first-degree aggravated battery and three counts of first-degree child abuse following an incident allegedly involving a one-year-old boy. Yvette Thurston, 54, was arrested last Monday, according to police in Bainbridge, Georgia, KCRG reported. Thurston was identified as an employee at the Little Blessings Child Care, located inside the Bainbridge Church of God. Specific details about the case were not made public by law enforcement. Investigators confirmed to KCRG that police were able to view surveillance footage from the daycare, which contributed to their investigation. The father of two boys, aged one and three, slammed the daycare in a Facebook post and alleged that the charges related to his one-year-old son. He shared pictures of one child with a large, deep purple bruise over one of his swollen eyes, and several cuts across his face. 'This was his FIRST DAY!!! This is every parent's worst nightmare and WE had to live it and are still living it,' Cory Weeks wrote. Police confirmed the boy was treated at an area hospital. Calls to Little Blessings Child Care byThe Independent were not immediately returned Sunday. Thurston's bond was set at $44,000 for all four charges. Jail records showed she has since bonded out of Decatur County Jail. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning issued a statement following the incident to WALB: 'The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is aware of the serious allegations of child abuse at Little Blessings Childcare, located at 205 Independent Street in Bainbridge, Georgia 39819. Our agency is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the situation. It has been confirmed that a teacher has been arrested in connection with these allegations. 'As our investigation is still in its early stages, DECAL will continue to work closely with law enforcement and all relevant parties to ensure a comprehensive review of the facts.'
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Rolexes, Emeralds Stolen in $2 Million Seattle Jewelry Heist
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Four masked suspects smashed through the locked glass front door of a Seattle jeweler on Thursday, making off with roughly $2 million in diamonds, emeralds, gold and luxury watches in a 90-second smash-and-grab. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) wrote in a press release the heist took place around noon in the West Seattle Junction, a popular shopping and dining area. One of the displays the suspects smashed at Menashe & Sons Jewelers held about $700,000 to $800,000 in Rolex watches, while others had diamonds and an emerald necklace, according to the report. Menashe & Sons Jewelers said in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday that none of their customers items were stolen. Newsweek has reached out to Menashe & Sons Jewelers via email Sunday during non-working hours for more information. Why It Matters SPD described the theft as a rapid, organized operation that targeted high-value items and used threats of force to clear staff from the display areas. The latest incident underscored vulnerabilities in retail security during daytime hours and raised public safety concerns in a busy commercial corridor. What To Know Patrol officers responded at about 12 p.m. to a robbery report in the 4500 block of California Avenue Southwest and found that four masked suspects had used hammers to break the locked glass door and then shattered six display cases, according to the SPD. Police said one display case held between $700,000 and $800,000 in Rolex watches, another contained an emerald necklace valued at $125,000, along with a platinum diamond, and two other cases contained a large amount of gold jewelry. Officers reported that one suspect pointed bear spray and a Taser at employees while the others removed merchandise, but no injuries were reported, SPD said. Surveillance video later published by local news outlet KOMO showed suspects breaking into the store and quickly ransacking cases before fleeing in a getaway car that eluded officers responding to the scene. A Seattle Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform, July 17, 2016, in Seattle. A Seattle Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform, July 17, 2016, in Seattle. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File What People Are Saying Menashe & Sons Jewelers released an official statement on Instagram: "To our valued customers and community. We want to assure you that all customer jewelry and watches are safe and were not among the items taken during the recent robbery at our store. Your trust means everything to us and we are grateful to share this important news with you. As we work to assess, regroup and repair the damage done, Menashe & Sons will be closed on Friday, Saturday and Monday." Josh Menashe, vice president of Menashe & Sons Jewelers, told AP by phone Friday: "We're pretty shook up as a staff. We're gonna be closed for a while." Bret Gibson, an employee at a gym across the street, told local news outlet KIRO: "You could still hear like a lot of breaking glass and banging around and stuff, so they were in there around noon still robbing the store while everyone was on the phone calling the cops." Jim Fuda of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound told local news outlet KOMO: "They were in for one minute and forty seconds and out the door they went with almost $2 million in equipment." What Happens Next? As of Sunday, the suspects remain at large, with no description of perpetrators of the getaway vehicle involved released. SPD said the Robbery Unit, Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and the Photo and Video Units were all processing the scene and following investigative leads. Anyone with information was urged to contact the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, with anonymous tips accepted.
