FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida mom was arrested for allegedly helping her son and his friend beat up another child, according to officials.
Ashley Ruffin, 30, is accused of grabbing the boy by his hair and arm and holding him back while her son and another bully hit him, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said on Friday.
FCSO provided the following overview:
On Wednesday, September 8, 2021, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Indian Trails Middle School (ITMS) School Resource Deputy Cooper was approached by a female motorist advising her son was in a fight at the Sports Complex. The motorist stated her son was jumped by two male juveniles and that one of the boy’s mothers also assaulted her son during the altercation.
The reporting party stated the unknown mother exited her vehicle and grabbed her son by the hair and arm while the two juveniles continued to beat him.
FCSO SRD Cooper met with the juvenile suspects and the victim. The victim stated he was sitting with his friends when two kids approached him. He said one of them started hitting him and he got up and pushed him to the ground, and then other boys started hitting him and that’s when his friends started coming over to help him. The victim also stated that sometime during the fight, he believes one of the boy’s mother grabbed him and held him while the boys beat him.
FSCO deputies made contact with the parents of the juvenile suspects and it was determined that one of the parents were unaware of the incident. The other parent, who allegedly held the child, was identified as Ashley Ruffin (DOB: 9/28/1990). FCSO attempted to contact Ruffin and informed her husband of the altercation and advised she may be facing criminal charges. Ruffin’s husband became irate and stated he was going to call the FCSO to “file a report about the fight.” He stated he would not allow his wife and son to speak with FCSO.
Other juvenile witnesses confirmed the victim was jumped by the suspected juveniles. All the witnesses also stated that an adult female grabbed the victim and allowed the other boys to continue to hit him. She also displayed a Taser during the altercation. The female was identified as Ashley Ruffin. Ruffin was arrested and transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. She’s being charged with Battery and Child Abuse.
Battery charges have been submitted to the State Attorney’s Office for the other juveniles involved in the altercation.
Ruffin has denied that she tried to hurt a child, and claimed in a Facebook Live video that she was only trying to pull her son away from the altercation.
Flager County Sheriff Rick Staly said that he doubts Ruffin “will receive a mother of the year award,” New York Post reported.
“There is zero excuse for an adult, especially a parent, to be physically involved in a juvenile dispute,” Staly said in a statement. “Kids need to have leadership from their parents and taught how to handle disputes properly.”
