Parkland school sheriff’s deputy returns to court looking sullen as judge reduces bond

The former Florida sheriff’s deputy facing 11 criminal counts of neglect for failing to confront the gunman in the Parkland school massacre was back in court this morning to have his bond significantly reduced.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer set bond at $39,500 for 56-year-old Scot Peterson, down from the initial amount of $102,000. Scherer also eliminated a previous requirement that Peterson wear a GPS monitor.  

Peterson is charged with child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury stemming from the February, 14, 2018, shooting, in which Nikolas Cruz killed 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 

Former Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy Scot Peterson is greeted by his attorneys as he enters the courtroom for a bond hearing at the Broward County Courthouse Thursday

Peterson appeared somber after spending two nights in jail following his arrest Tuesday

Scot Peterson

Peterson appeared somber after spending two nights in jail following his arrest Tuesday

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Thursday set bond at $39,500 for Peterson, down from the initial amount of $102,000

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Thursday set bond at $39,500 for Peterson, down from the initial amount of $102,000

Peterson is being accused of failing to stop mass shooter Nikolas Cruz from killing 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Peterson is being accused of failing to stop mass shooter Nikolas Cruz from killing 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

The judge eliminated a previous requirement that Peterson wear a GPS monitor

The judge eliminated a previous requirement that Peterson wear a GPS monitor

His attorney says Peterson should not face the neglect and negligence charges because he was not legally a caregiver with direct responsibility for the students.  

If convicted, he faces a potential prison sentence of nearly 100 years.   

His case is the first in which someone else has been charged other than the gunman in a school shooting. 

Scot Peterson was stony-faced as he appeared via video link to a court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from the Broward County Jail on Wednesday

Scot Peterson was stony-faced as he appeared via video link to a court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from the Broward County Jail on Wednesday

On Valentine’s Day 2018, Peterson was outside the building when Cruz opened fire. 

Peterson was arrested on Tuesday. He is shown in his mugshot

Peterson was arrested on Tuesday. He is shown in his mugshot 

He eventually took up his position, gun drawn, but did not go inside. In court papers, prosecutors said five people were killed and four others wounded after he did that.  

His lawyers’ defense, it seems, will be to try to argue out of the allegations on the technicality that he was employed by the police and not by the school. 

‘Mr. Peterson cannot reasonably be prosecuted because he was not a “caregiver,” which is defined as a parent, adult household member or other person responsible for a child’s welfare. 

‘Mr. Peterson was not criminally negligent in his actions, as no police officer has ever been prosecuted for his or her actions in responding to an active shooter incident. 

‘There has only ever been one person to blame – Nikolas Cruz,’ his attorney Joseph DiRuzzo said. 

WHAT PETERSON DID AND DID NOT DO 

He did not enter the building 

When the first shots were fired inside the 1200 building, Peterson was outside. Despite his training, he stayed there and drew his gun.

He then told other cops to stay ‘at least 500ft away’.  

He hid 

For 45 minutes while police searched for Cruz and after unarmed adults had been killed trying to protect students inside, Peterson hid in a building 75ft from where the massacre had happened. 

Prosecutors say that during that time, seven kids were killed.  

He lied 

After the shooting, Peterson claimed he had not heard the shots being fired inside the school which, prosecutors say, was untrue.  

The judge did not allow them to lay out any form of argument. 

‘I’m not going to entertain any motions today,’ Broward Judge Jackie Powell said. 

After his appearance in court, Peterson’s lawyer told reporters they would try again to get bond lowered. 

‘We are waiting for the case to be assigned to a circuit criminal judge. 

‘We intend to file a motion to reduce bond and a motion to modify the terms of pretrial release. 

‘We expect Mr. Peterson to be treated fairly, just like every other person,’ one said afterwards. 

They then went to visit him in the jail where he appeared via video-link.  

It is not clear if any of the parents of the children murdered were in court on Wednesday. 

They welcomed news of his arrest on Tuesday. 

‘Rot in hell Scott Petersen. You could have saved some of the 17. 

‘You could have saved my daughter. 

‘You did not and then you lied about it and you deserve the misery coming your way,’ Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed, said. 

Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter Gina died in the shooting, said families wanted justice to be done.

‘We are happy to see some accountability for this tragedy that took the life of my daughter Gina and 16 other wonderful individuals as well as terribly injured 17 others,’ he said.

Peterson is shown talking into his radio on the day of the shooting. He advised that shots had been fired and said where they were coming from but later claimed he did not know the shooter was inside the building he was terrorizing

Peterson is shown talking into his radio on the day of the shooting. He advised that shots had been fired and said where they were coming from but later claimed he did not know the shooter was inside the building he was terrorizing 

After telling other officers not to enter the school on February 14, Peterson hid 75ft away with his gun drawn for 45 minutes (shown)

After telling other officers not to enter the school on February 14, Peterson hid 75ft away with his gun drawn for 45 minutes (shown) 

Peterson's attorneys Joseph DiRuzzo and David Sobel arrive at the jail where he is being held on Wednesday after the hearing

Peterson’s attorneys Joseph DiRuzzo and David Sobel arrive at the jail where he is being held on Wednesday after the hearing 

Scot Peterson is shown in a June 2018 interview on Today where he insisted that he did not know the gunman was inside the school

Scot Peterson is shown in a June 2018 interview on Today where he insisted that he did not know the gunman was inside the school 

PARKLAND SHOOTING TIMELINE

2.06pm: Nikolas Cruz is collected in an Uber 

2. 18pm: Cruz sends final text to the son of the Sneads, the family he was living with. He asked him what classroom he was in at the school and what teacher he had. His final message was: ‘Yo’ 

2.19pm: Cruz, 19, is dropped off by Uber 

2:21:18pm: He is seen entering building 12 on surveillance cameras from the school  

2:21:33pm Cruz starts firing his rifle 

2.22pm: First 911 call from the shooting is made to Coral Springs  

2.23pm: Scot Peterson, the school resource officer, makes his first 911 call over his radio and describes the gunfire as ‘possible firecrackers’

At the same time, he is seen on surveillance videos making his way there 

2:25:08pm: Another officer is hear on radio saying: ‘I hear shots by the football field, shots fired by the football field 

2.25:18pm: Peterson says: ‘We’re looking at the 1200 building, it’s going to be the 300 building, it’s right off Holmberg Road, by the senior lot’

2:25:38pm: Peterson says ‘get the school locked down gentleman’ 

2:25:56pm: Petersons says: We also heard it’s by, inside the 1200 building’ 

2:26pm: Students are seen running west towards football field 

2:27: 35pm: Cruz is seen on school surveillance cameras dropping his AR-15 in the stairwell

2.27: 55pm: He is filmed leaving the west side of the building 

2.28pm: Seconds later, Peterson says over his radio: ‘Do not approach. Stay at least 500 feet away at this point.’

2:29pm: Cruz is filmed on another surveillance camera on the other side of campus

2:31pm: Broward County Captain Jan Jordan joins the radio communication. She asks: ‘I know there is a lot going on , do we have a perimeter set up right now and everyone cleared out of the school?’

2.32pm: Four Coral Springs Police Department officers go into the building through the west door 

2.33pm: Broward County Police Captain Jan Jordan says: ‘I want to make sure that we have a perimeter set up and the school, all the kids are getting out, but we need to shut down around this school.’

2.33pm: A Broward County Sheriff’s Officer says there is a team entering the school from the north side 

2:35pm:  A Broward County Sheriff’s Officer and a Coral Springs Police Department officer pull a victim from the school and drive them away on a golf cart

2:36pm: 1O officers (8 from Coral Springs and 2 from Broward County) enter the first floor  

2.50pm: Cruz enters a Walmart and buys a drink at the Subway then runs away on foot

2:51 p.m: First notice of shootings to local hospital Broward Health North.

2:55 p.m: First victim arrives at ER at Broward Health North.

3:01 p.m: Cruz goes to McDonalds, sits down for a short time and then leaves on foot 

3:40 p.m: Cruz is arrested near 4700 Wyndham Lakes Drive in Coral Springs 

‘He could have and would have saved lives.

‘So he has to deal with that for the rest of his life, ‘ added Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa was killed. 

Peterson has said in the past that his lack of action on the day of the shooting would ‘haunt him’ for the rest of his life but he has always maintained that he did not know the shots were being fired inside. 

Gunman Nikolas Cruz, now 20, is facing execution

Gunman Nikolas Cruz, now 20, is facing execution 

He claims he thought the gunfire was happening outside the school and that is why he did not enter the building when he was the only armed guard there. 

‘It haunts me that I didn’t know at that moment, you know, that — those are my kids in there. 

‘I never would have sat there and let my kids get slaughtered,’ he said in June last year. 

‘When I heard those shots outside, I didn’t even think that someone was inside the building. 

‘I never even thought that. I thought, “There’s shooting outside here. I don’t know where it is.” 

‘It’s easy to sit there for people to go, “Oh, he should have known that that person was up there.” 

‘It wasn’t that easy,’ he said.

But audio from the day clearly shows him telling other cops: ‘We’re looking at the 1200 building, it’s going to be the 300 building, it’s right off Holmberg Road, by the senior lot.’ 

Later, he told them: ‘We also heard it’s by, inside the 1200 building.’ Legal experts have questioned whether or not the charges against him are fair.

He is already facing numerous lawsuits from the families of some of the victims. After the massacre, Peterson moved from Florida to North Carolina. 

An investigation into his failings and others took 14 months. 

It also revealed the signs in place that Cruz was a danger to himself and to other students.

He had been asked to leave school and was not allowed to carry a backpack because he was considered to be dangerous. The gunman was expelled before the massacre.  

Parkland victims remembered: The 14 students and three teachers who died on February 14, 2018

Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was described by relatives as a 'kind-hearted, sweet' girl. She attended the school with her younger brother who survived and rushed home afterwards.

Senior Nicholas Dworet was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a 'good guy' who will be missed

Jaime Guttenberg, 14, (left) was described by relatives as a ‘kind-hearted, sweet’ girl. Senior Nicholas Dworet (right) was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a ‘good guy’ who will be missed

Martin Duque, 14, was a freshman

Meadow Pollack, 18, was preparing for college

Martin Duque, 14, (left) was a freshman. Meadow Pollack, 18, (right) was preparing for college

Cara Loughran, 14, loved Irish dancing and the beach

Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. 'All she had to offer the world was love... I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed'

Cara Loughran, 14, (left) loved Irish dancing and the beach. Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, (right) was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. ‘All she had to offer the world was love… I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed’

Luke Hoyer, 15, was described as a 'precious' child by his grandparents, who said he was a 'good kid' who 'never got in trouble'

Joaquin Oliver, 17,  was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a 'better future'

Luke Hoyer (left), 15, was described as a ‘precious’ child by his grandparents, who said he was a ‘good kid’ who ‘never got in trouble’. Joaquin Oliver, 17, (right), was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a ‘better future’

Gina Montalto, 15, was described as a 'light and joy'. She  volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative  as a buddy for children with special needs

Alaina Petty, 14, was also killed. Her Mormon church said she was a 'valiant' member

Gina Montalto, 15, (left) was described as a ‘light and joy’. She volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative as a buddy for children with special needs. Alaina Petty, 14, (right) was also killed. Her Mormon church said she was a ‘valiant’ member

Carmen Schentrup, 16, was  a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program

ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, also died.  Students said that Peter held the door open for others while they fled

Carmen Schentrup, 16, (left) was a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, (right) also died. Students said that Peter held the door open for others while they fled

Alex Schachter, 14, was described by his father Max as a 'sweetheart of a child' who 'just wanted to do well and please his parents'

Helena Ramsey, 17, was described by relatives as a 'reserved' and studious girl who was due to go to college next year

Alex Schachter, 14, (left) was described by his father Max as a ‘sweetheart of a child’ who ‘just wanted to do well and please his parents’. Helena Ramsey, 17, (right) was described by relatives as a ‘reserved’ and studious girl who was due to go to college next year

Geography Scott Beigel, 35, was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman

Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, was also killed shielding students

Geography Scott Beigel, 35, (left) was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman. Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, (right) was also killed shielding students

Aaron Feis, 37, (center) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years

Aaron Feis, 37, (center) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years

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