VERO BEACH – A deputy was punched in the face by a school teacher Wednesday at the Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deborah Jane Arkison, 43, was charged with Felony Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, and Disorderly Intoxication.
The hospital staff called the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office to report a disturbance in the emergency room involving an intoxicated female.
Arkison, who told deputies she works as a school teacher, was seen arguing with the nurse while trying to maintain her balance, according to the report.
“As Arkison spoke with the nursing staff, she was speaking very loudly using obscenities and creating a disturbance,” the deputy said.
The deputy then moved her onto a hospital bed, but Arkison created another disturbance.
“Arkison lunged toward me, I observed her draw her right hand back and then she struck me in the face,” the deputy said. “I attempted to grab onto Arkison in self-defense which is when I observed that Adkison was creating a fist with her other hand.”
In order to avoid being punched in the face again, the deputy struck Arkison in the face, causing her to fall backwards onto the hospital bed.
Arkison was then bleeding from her nose and lip. Nurses assisted in cleaning her up. She was also taken for x-rays to be medically cleared before taking to jail.
The deputy had a small laceration on the inside of his lip, which was swollen.
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After being medically cleared, Arkison was transported to the Indian River County Jail.
As of Thursday afternoon, she was still in jail on a $3,500.00 bond.
Arkison is a former teacher at St Edward’s School in Vero Beach, according to records. She has also worked as an English teacher at Hamden High School in Hamden, Connecticut.
