A 48-year-old Central Florida woman was arrested for allegedly verbally assaulting several people including a student on a school bus.
On Monday, Latanya Rowe entered the bus as it was stopped to pick up students for Davenport High School, according to a press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Officials said Rowe cursed at a student regarding an incident that occurred on Oct. 24 among the student and the woman’s son and daughter.
Rowe also cursed out the bus driver for not “handling the situation,” according to the report. She refused to leave the bus for nearly an hour, despite requests from the driver, until the driver threatened to call the police.
Deputies went to her home, but Rowe told them, via her Ring camera, that she was at the high school. Two school resource officers found her at the front office, yelling and cursing.
The release said that when deputies tried to take Rowe into custody, she resisted arrest. The release said officers tried to tell Rowe’s daughter, who was nearby, to back away from the scene, as well.
But the daughter refused and told officers she wanted to go to jail too, according to the press release. It stated the daughter was taken into custody for violation of the Halo law after warnings, and resisting arrest.
After an investigation, deputies discovered through witness statements that Rowe’s son had been bullying the victim (whom Rowe initially cursed out) for a week. On Oct. 24, the victim tried to talk to Rowe’s children about the bullying, when both kids punched him, according to the press release.
“The irony of this situation is that this woman’s two children were found to be the aggressors in a fight that took place on Friday, yet she was screaming at the victim and accusing the victim of hurting her kids,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “The victim’s parents declined to press charges and preferred that the school handle that internally, but we are moving forward with charging this mother for her criminal conduct.”
Rowe faces charges for disrupting a school function, trespassing on school grounds, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
She was released after posting bond.