Police in Florida have arrested a mother after she allegedly got in the middle of a fight between two juveniles at a bus stop. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office responded to a call near Mahogany Boulevard and Honeytree Street in Daytona North on August 15 after school let out at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Two teenage girls were fighting, and Kathryn Stephanopoulos, 34, stepped in to defend her daughter.
According to a statement on Facebook from the sheriff's office, the teenagers had a falling out over the summer and agreed to a physical fight after school. Video captured the altercation and appears to show Stephanopoulos attacking her daughter's former friend. After police got the footage, they found Stephanopoulos and took her to jail.
More from CafeMom: Georgia School Bus Driver Gets in Physical Fight With Parent & Speeds Off With Kids Inside
Stephanopoulos apparently knew there was going to be a fight.
Per the sheriff's office, Stephanopoulos' daughter allegedly told her she planned to fight the other teen, and the mother was waiting at the bus stop for the girls to arrive.
When the girls got off the bus and began to fight, "the mother joined the fight instead of trying to break it up. At one point the mother had the juvenile in a headlock and reportedly restricted the child's breathing," the sheriff's office reported.
The fight turned into a brawl.
While another student at the bus stop was apparently trying to break up the fight, Stephanopoulos allegedly attacked that teenager as her mother continued to fight the other student.
"Once that fight was over, the juvenile began arguing with the mother, then swung a full metal cup, hitting the woman in the face," the statement on Facebook reads.
The video footage is shocking.
Police posted a video on Facebook of the fight caught by a witness. The faces are blurred, but the fight is clear.
This person defended the teens, writing, "If I was the mother of the child that she put in a headlock, I'd say the safest place for her would be in jail..just saying."
Others, however, questioned that what the mother did wrong.
"I'm sorry if my daughter was in a fight I'd be right there in the middle breaking it up too!!!! What exactly am I missing that this mom did?" the person wrote. "She looked like she took the beating from the girl in the white. And honestly doesn't look like any girl was attacked. Looked like both girls wanted to fight out their problems."
Police condemned the mother's actions.
Sheriff Rick Staly shared his frustration in a statement.
"Instead of deescalating the situation, we have a mother who joined in the fray, setting a bad example for her child and those at the bus stop. She certainly won't receive mother of the year with her actions," he wrote in the statement on Facebook. "Parents need to set the example and not be part of the problem. Luckily, no one was seriously injured, but now a mother is facing serious charges for losing control of her temper."
More from CafeMom: Mom Confronts School Bus Driver Who Makes Her Kids Cry 'Every Day' & Things Get Ugly
The mother was arrested several days later.
According to online jail records, Stephanopoulos was booked at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on August 19, and charged with felony aggravated child abuse. She posted a $10,000 bond and was released the following day. It was unclear when she will appear in court.
A juvenile was also arrested and charged with aggravated battery, per the sheriff's office.
