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- Ashley Ruffin is accused of helping two juveniles, including her son, beat up another child.
- She faces a felony child abuse charge, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.
- In a tearful Facebook Live video, she slammed the "one-sided" media coverage of the altercation.
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A Florida mother is facing criminal charges for allegedly helping two juveniles, including her son, beat up another child, Newsweek reported.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office (FSCO) arrested 31-year-old Ashley Ruffin on a felony child abuse and misdemeanor battery charge on Wednesday. She spent the night in the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility near Palm Coast, Florida.
The charges stem from an incident on September 8 when the FCSO's Indian Trails Middle School (ITMS) Resource Deputy was approached by a motorist who alleged that her son was "jumped" by two male juveniles and one of the boy's mothers.
The motorist claimed that the mother, Ruffin, also assaulted her son, according to a statement by the FSCO. She alleged that Ruffin grabbed her son's hair and arm while the two juveniles beat him up, the statement said.
The victim of the assault told the FSCO Resource Deputy that he was sitting with his friends when he was approached by two kids who started hitting him before pushing him to the ground, according to the FSCO report. He also claimed that Ruffin grabbed him and held him while the boys continued to beat him, the report said.
According to other teenage witnesses, an adult female grabbed the victim and allowed the other boys to continue the assault.
"There is zero excuse for an adult, especially a parent, to be physically involved in a juvenile dispute," Sheriff Rick Staly said. "Kids need to have leadership from their parents and be taught how to handle disputes properly. I doubt she will receive a mother of the year award."
On Friday, Ruffin went live on Facebook to "say her piece" about the incident.
"This is such a biased, one-sided story," she said through tears. "I'm in so much pain because I would never hurt a child and I had to spend a night in jail, undeservingly, away from my newborn baby, my three boys, and this is so wrong."
Ruffin claimed that her 12-year-old son was attacked by a fellow student last week after a basketball game. She went on to say that she saw a video of her son getting his "ass whooped."
A week later, Ruffin said, her husband went to the school to try and resolve the situation but claimed that administrators did nothing. Instead of pressing charges, Ruffin said that she wanted to start a conversation with the boy's family.
On Wednesday, the day of the incident, Ruffin said that her son was surrounded by a crowd of 10 to 15 middle-schoolers who were all shouting "fight" when he arrived at the school's sports complex. The mother claims that she was there to pull her son away from the altercation.