Charges against Florida mother who took part in daughter’s bus stop
The fight occurred at a school bus stop at Flagler Palm Coast High School in western Flagler County.
Florida mother accused of joining her daughter’s fight instead of stopping it
Kathryn Stephanopoulos, 34, of western Flagler County, was charged with aggravated child abuse after she was accused of putting a girl in a chokehold
Instead of trying to break up the fight, a Flagler County mother intervened in her daughter’s fight and put the other girl in a chokehold, knocking her out of breath, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Kathryn Stephanopoulos, 34, of western Flagler County, was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated child abuse.
One juvenile was arrested for aggravated assault and another juvenile was charged with a misdemeanor, which was forwarded to the district attorney’s office.
The fight took place on Aug. 15 at the corner of Mahogany Boulevard and Honeytree Street in Daytona North, according to the sheriff’s office. The intersection is home to a bus stop for Flagler Palm Coast High School.
The two girls had had a disagreement over the summer and agreed to fight as soon as they got off the school bus.
Stephanopoulos was waiting at the bus stop after learning about the fight from her daughter.
The fight started and the mother intervened instead of trying to stop it, officials said. According to an affidavit and a news release, the mother wrapped her left arm around the girl’s neck as if she had a chokehold, allegedly causing the girl to lose her breath.
The fight was seen on a video taken by a student on the school bus.
The video shows the two girls fighting and the mother then wrestles one girl to the ground. The mother’s daughter then hits the girl as she wrestles with the mother. A male intervenes and apparently tries to separate them when the mother’s daughter starts hitting him. The male and female then begin exchanging blows before eventually wrestling on the ground.
The mother’s daughter started the argument with the other student, who tried to break up the fight, the sheriff’s office said.
When the fight was over, the teen began arguing with the mother and then struck her with a metal cup, hitting the woman in the face, the sheriff’s office said.
The video shows the girl, who was being held in a headlock by her mother, walking up to her mother and punching her in the face. Although it is difficult to see if she had anything in her hand, something appears to land on the ground afterward.
Stephanopoulos told officers she tried to prevent any argument by being present as an adult. However, she said she did not separate the two girls and confirmed she “was involved in the altercation,” the affidavit states. She said she held the girl “in the upper chest area,” the affidavit states.
Stephanopoulos expressed her regret and embarrassment, the affidavit said.
“Instead of de-escalating the situation, we have a mother who intervenes in the argument and sets a bad example for her child and the people at the bus stop,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Her behavior certainly won’t make her Mother of the Year. Parents need to lead by example and not be part of the problem. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but now a mother faces serious charges for losing control of her temper.”
