A former Broward Sheriff's deputy fired amid excessive force allegations back in 2022 has been arrested for allegedly hitting a student while working as a security guard at a Pompano Beach high school.
Ronald Lamar Thurston, 48, was arrested Thursday on two counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of battery, Broward jail records showed.
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Thurston is a security specialist at Blanche Ely High School where the alleged incident happened on Monday.
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Further details about the incident weren't available.
Thurston appeared in court Friday, where he was granted a $26,000 bond. He was also ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and Blanche Ely High.
A spokesperson for Broward County Public Schools said Thurston has been reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.
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An attorney for Thurston said in a statement that they categorically deny the allegations and look forward to the court system exonerating him.
This isn't the first time Thurston has been accused of behaving aggressively. Prior to working as a security guard, Thurston was fired from his job as a BSO deputy in 2022 amid allegations he used excessive force during an arrest that was captured on body camera footage.
NBC6 has asked the district if they were aware of Thurston's firing from BSO when he was hired to work in schools. Officials said that's something they're looking into and are working to get information about from their HR department.
At least one parent at Blanche Ely voiced concerns Friday over whether Thurston should be working with kids.
"It is highly alarming that someone of an authority type figure would be having those types of actions toward children,' Leslie Sanchez said. "Hopefully they got the situation resolved and do a little bit better background screenings or whatever else they do before they hire individuals."
