Police in Florida have charged an elementary school principal and a teacher with child abuse after an inebriated adolescent house party that featured antics fit for a high school film.
According to Cocoa Beach police, a party hosted by a Cocoa Beach High School student on January 19 at the residence of Roosevelt Elementary School Principal Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan drew over 100 guests, including minors and underage drinkers.
Police said that Hill-Brodigan and teacher Karly Anderson neglected to provide appropriate care for children during the celebrations.
According to Florida law, Hill-Brodigan is accused of child negligence, contributing to a minor’s delinquency, and throwing a “open house party” that included alcohol that was available to minors. Anderson is accused of contributing to a minor’s delinquency and neglecting a kid.
According to jail records, both were arrested on Friday and released on Saturday from the Brevard County Jail, with a bond of $3,000 for Anderson’s case and $3,500 for Hill-Brodigan’s.
In court files on Tuesday, both entered not guilty pleas and asked for jury trials so that they could proceed immediately.
Hill-Brodigan’s lawyer declined to comment on Tuesday. A request for comment from Anderson’s attorney was not immediately answered.
They have been placed on administrative leave, according to Brevard Public Schools.
In a statement, the district added, “We are fully cooperating with the Cocoa Beach Police Department and are extremely troubled by these accusations.” “Our commitment to student safety remains our top priority.”
In a letter to the community and parents in the district, Superintendent Mark Rendell stated that if the accusations are accurate, they constitute “a complete failure in leadership and violation of our trust.”
Investigators reported that a teenage boy brandished a 9 mm handgun at a student who was filming him, that a partygoer vomited so inebriated that paramedics were called, that marijuana was used, that fights and violence broke out, one of which was captured on camera, and that a teenage girl was arrested nearby for driving with a blood alcohol level significantly higher than the legal limit of 0.02 for people under 21.
Two affidavits supporting the arrests of the two educators contained the accusations.
In the records, police stated that the girl’s blood alcohol content was 0.118 and that she and her companion were dressed in apparel bearing the night’s theme, “white lie.”
Detectives spoke with teenage guests two days later, who claimed that the home hosts such gatherings once or twice a month. The Jan. 19 party was advertised on the social media site Snapchat. According to police affidavits, many participants also donned matching “white lie” T-shirts.
According to the affidavits, they said that Hill-Brodigan had certain pupils arrive early to assist with “preparations,” as she is believed to have done previously.
Investigators added that several of the guests later told them, “Elizabeth made no attempt to stop the party at any point and advised that she seemed okay with what was happening,” citing the documents.
The following day, Anderson called police and stated that she did not engage in what she called “ragers,” according to the affidavits.
According to jail records, Hill-Brodigan’s residence is on Country Club Road, an intracoastal thoroughfare that passes through the exclusive Cocoa Isles Country Club and River Sunset communities, where homes valued at about $2 million have been listed for sale. According to jail records, Anderson resides at an address on the same road.
The distance to the high school is less than half a mile.
What would have inspired the teachers to assist teens in hosting parties is unclear. According to one document, Anderson informed authorities that her own children weren’t present that evening.
According to authorities, alcoholic coolers were spotted at the celebration on January 19 and the high school host, a young girl, was seen clutching an alcoholic beverage can in social media pictures from the occasion.
Anderson was described as drunk in the police affidavits. According to court filings, Anderson was instructed to “go away” by police at one point when she objected to the sick partygoer’s paramedic care. According to the affidavits, she informed authorities that night that Hill-Brodigan was not intoxicated because she had only had one drink thus far.
According to police affidavits, officers were called to the residence many times that Sunday night, beginning at 8:40 p.m. and continuing until 11 p.m., in response to complaints from neighbors about disturbances, including allegations that teenage guests were stomping on their property.
Hill-Brodigan claimed the celebrations would be canceled the first time, according to the police. According to the court documents, however, they continued to party and authorities were summoned to react once more.
The affidavits state that a prank was the final straw.
As to the affidavits, just before 11:30 p.m., a person who sounded like a young child claimed hearing gunfire at a nearby skate park. He stated that, according to the affidavits, a satanic ritual was also occurring nearby and that someone was being held at gunpoint as part of it.
The documents state that the celebrations continued unabated after the police arrived.
According to the affidavits, the fake report might have permitted guests to leave without fear of police inspection or arrest: The partygoers were gone when cops returned.