SUNRISE, Fla. _ Scot Peterson, the disgraced school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who failed to act as a former student shot and killed 17 people and injured 17 more, did not show up at the state commission where he was subpoenaed to testify.
Instead, Peterson sued the commission created to investigate the Valentine's Day massacre.
His lawyer, Joseph DiRuzzo, made a brief appearance at the commission Thursday to inform members that Peterson would not appear and to hand-deliver the lawsuit, which he said sought to quash the commission's subpoena.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, chairman of the commission, said the panel was caught off guard. He said DiRuzzo had not communicated with the commission.
"When he showed up here this afternoon he wouldn't communicate with us," Gualtieri said. "He wouldn't tell us if Peterson was here or not. We heard what you heard for the first time."
After his surprise announcement DiRuzzo quickly exited the packed hearing at the BB&T Center in Sunrise and declined to speak with a reporter.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he did not take Peterson's lawsuit seriously.
"That's always warm and makes you feel really good," Judd said.
Commission member Max Schachter, whose son Alex was among those killed that day, asked if Peterson could be held in contempt. Gualtieri said the commission would need to review the hand-delivered pleadings, copies of which were not immediately made available to the press.
