DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. – State Attorney R.J. LaRizza’s office will not be prosecuting the Daytona Beach Shores officer accused of handcuffing his child and leaving the boy in a holding cell as punishment during potty training, according to Bryan Shorstein with the 7th Circuit State Attorney’s office.
The state attorney’s office announced its plans to not seek prosecution against Lt. Michael Schoenbrod on Friday. It also released documents showing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s investigation into the incident.
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The documents show the Florida Department of Children and Families had received a tip about the Schoenbrod’s child being handcuffed and placed in a holding cell. Investigators added that the tip included accusations that feces was smeared on the toddler’s face during the incident.
DCF questioned Schoenbrod and the child’s mother — Sgt. Jessica Long, also with Daytona Beach Shores police — about the incident, records show. Both parents admitted to placing the child in handcuffs and putting him in a holding cell on two separate incidents; however, they denied ever smearing feces on the toddler’s face, according to an incident report from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office filed by a deputy who was escorting the DCF investigator.
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The FDLE investigation further details the incidents when the child was placed in the holding cell. The investigation also shows Schoenbrod and Long refused to give sworn statements to FDLE investigators.
Several coworkers of the couple were interviewed in the course of the investigation. Nearly all of them detailed that the couple had been struggling with potty-training the toddler and that their daycare threatened to kick the child out because of his refusal to use the toilet, records show.
According to investigators, several coworkers stated that Long had detailed the steps the couple had taken to try to potty train the child. Documents show that one officer had likened the couple’s potty training techniques to those used on a dog and said something to the effect of “Why don’t you just rub his nose in it.” Another coworker suggested that was the origin of the suggestion that feces was smeared on the boy’s face, the FDLE report shows.
Records show Long admitted to coworkers that she had placed the boy in the holding cell, but she stayed with the child the whole time and never left his side, leaving him there for several minutes.
Investigators said when Schoenbrod placed the child in the cell, he stepped out of the child’s view, but never left the holding area. This account appears to be backed by surveillance video documented by FDLE.
Schoenbrod still faces an internal investigation by Daytona Beach Shores police. The lieutenant is under investigation for violating six department policies, a memo issued by Michael Fowler, Daytona Beach Shores’ director of public safety, reads.
Schoenbrod was placed on administrative leave and will remain suspended until the investigation is completed.
According to a report by Daytona Beach News-Journal, Schoenbrod spoke critically of other officers whom he believed were involved in reporting him to the DCF and the DLE at a meeting, reportedly failing to treat them with respect and civility, the former employees told the outlet.
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