3-Year-Old Arrested After Potty Training Accident -By His Cop Parents

A Florida police officer ‘arrested’ his 3-year-old son who struggled with potty training on two separate occasions in October 2022.

News Outlet Obtained Video Discussing Incident

The Daytona Beach News-Journal obtained a copy of a video conversation between Lt. Michael Schoenbrod and a Florida Department of Children’s Services caseworker recorded on a body cam worn by another officer. Andrew Gant, a spokesman with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed the authenticity of the video per The Washington Post.

In the video, Lt. Schoenbrod is heard explaining to the social worker why he ‘arrested’ his son on two separate occasions, one of which saw the officer placing the toddler in handcuffs and allegedly placing him inside a jail holding cell.

Lt. Schoenbrod explained to the caseworker that his son promised to never poop himself again after the arrest. He said, “He was crying. I was getting the response I expected from him,” he said. “There’s consequences for not following the rules.”

His girlfriend and the child’s mother, Sgt. Jessica Long, was aware of and went along with the plan to arrest her child.

Both denied putting the toddler inside a jail cell. Schoedbrod also denied placing him in handcuffs.

Long felt that the entire investigation into the matter was "insane." Schoenbrod agreed, and was recorded on video saying,

“It’s just disguising that somebody would drag our family through the mud like this.”

Not the First Time Schoenbrod Arrested His Child

This incident was not the first time Lt. Schoenbrod arrested one of his children. Nine years earlier, he ‘arrested’ his then 4-year-old son who had acted out in preschool. He told the caseworker his oldest son still remembers the incident and that it had a positive impact on his life since.

Schoenbrod informed the caseworker that 'arresting' his son did the trick; his son stopped soiling himself after the incident.

Both Schoenbrod and Long faced an internal professional standards investigation that determined Schoenbrod had edited part of the conversation and replaced eight minutes total of conversation with static.

Additionally, Schoenbrod and Long were found to have violated professional standards. Despite recommendations that child abuse charges be filed against the couple, the State’s Attorney’s Office declined to criminally charge either parent.

Schoenbrod Resigned From Department

Concluding the investigation, Schoenbrod resigned from the department in December 2023 after more than 23 years of service.

"Per the DBS policy manual, I must provide a reason for resigning," Schoenbrod wrote. "My reason is that I no longer want to work for the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety."

What do You Think?

I'm not sure how I feel about this case. I have personally used police officers to scare my kids, and believe many parents use the tactic. I understand the need for an investigation, especially if the incident violated integrity policies in place at the department.

I am curious to find out what everyone else thinks about the case. Do you think the parents should have faced criminal charges in this case? Is it appropriate to use police officers, arrests, jail, and handcuffs to scare young children? Let me know in the comment section below.

Sources

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2023/07/25/daytona-beach-shores-officers-who-jailed-kid-face-no-charges--despite-fdle-report-finding-probable-cause

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/investigation-opened-after-florida-police-officer-jailed-3-year-old-son-over-potty-training-trouble/3286460/

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2023/10/04/daytona-beach-shores-lt-michael-schoenbrod-resigns-after-findings/71062995007/

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