Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Professional Standards Bureau
- Administrative Investigation Division
Patrol Operations Bureau
- School Resource Unit

Deputy Ural Darling
Age: 57
Date of Hire: 02/27/1995
Termination Date: 08/25/2017

What:
A school resource deputy is terminated for improper conduct with an autistic student at Osceola Middle School.

When:
The incident occurred on May 15, 2017.

The deputy was terminated on August 25, 2017.

Where:
The incident occurred at Osceola Middle School located at 9301 98^th Street North, in Seminole.

Why/How:
A school resource deputy is terminated for improper conduct with an autistic student at Osceola Middle School.

According to Administrative Investigation Division investigators, on May 15, 2017, Osceola Middle School Resource Deputy Ural Darling was called to deal with a 13-year-old autistic boy who had thrown a book at his teacher.

Darling escorted the boy to the behavior specialist’s office where the deputy yelled at the child and took his handcuffs out taunting the child. Investigators say Darling then made the child hold three to five books out in front of him and told the child not to put the books down until Darling instructed him to do so.

At one point, Darling threatened to Baker Act the child and said he was going to take the child to the “mental hospital”. He then told the child they would keep him there “forever”. The interaction continued for approximately 20 minutes before the child’s mother came to the school to pick him up.

Investigators say the child’s mother noticed her child’s behavior deteriorating at school so she placed a microphone on the child, and audio recorded the May 15^th interaction without Darling’s knowledge.

Administrative Investigation Division investigators received a complaint from the child’s mother following the incident. The child’s mother provided investigators with a copy of the audio recording.

Investigators determined the child had a cognitive level of a first grader and his communication skills were that of a kindergartener.  

The investigation substantiated that Darling had improper conduct with the autistic child.

As a result of the administrative investigation, Darling was terminated effective August 25, 2017.

On August 25, 2017, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference at the Sheriff’s Administration Building announcing Darling’s termination.

Video of the press conference can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d0csFP1I-w