A Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Deputy has been placed on administrative leave after he was booked into Santa Rosa County Jail on child abuse charges last week.
SRSO Deputy Joshua White, 31, was arrested last Friday following an investigation by the sheriff’s office of alleged child abuse in which an individual came forward alleging the officer grabbed a toddler by the neck and began banging the child’s head on a hard surface.
White was placed on suspension following his arrest and will remain on leave until an administrative review on the incident is concluded, a press release from the SRSO stated. An internal investigation will also ensue after criminal charges are concluded.
The report indicated that the incident took place on or around last Thursday. The witness claimed they saw White grab a 4-year-old by the neck and began “banging the child’s head on a hard surface multiple times”, the report stated. The witness stated that the action was done with enough force that it caused bruising on the child’s forehead.
When questioned by an SRSO investigators at his residence, White invoked his right to counsel, according to the report.
The officer is facing once count of a third degree felony charge of child abuse without great bodily harm. His bond was set at $5,000, which he later posted, and was released early Saturday morning.
