Former Broward County sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson appears in the courtroom for a hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., June 6, 2019. Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Pool via REUTERS
(Reuters) – The former sheriff’s deputy who was arrested this week after being charged for his lack of response to the 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school posted bond on Thursday and was released following his initial court appearance.
Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer lowered the bond for Scot Peterson, 56, to $39,500, down from an initial $102,000, and ordered him to turn over his passport within 48 hours, according to Kristi Grimm, a spokeswoman for the county State Attorney’s Office.
A few hours later, he posted bond and was released from jail, she said.
Peterson was arrested on Tuesday on 11 charges of child neglect and negligence for remaining outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the attack that killed 17 people.
Peterson was not required to wear an ankle monitor after his release, the judge said. Peterson moved to North Carolina after the shooting on Feb. 14, 2018.
Peterson, at the time a Broward County deputy, was on duty as a school resource officer when a gunman entered the school building in Parkland and opened fire. He never went inside during the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office and surveillance video.
Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Tom Brown