School official faces perjury charge
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The superintendent of the Florida school district where 17 students and staff members died in a 2018 high school massacre was arrested Wednesday after investigators said he lied to a grand jury investigating events surrounding the shooting.
Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at district headquarters and charged with perjury in an official proceeding, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to an indictment issued by the grand jury last week and released after Runcie’s arrest, the superintendent lied when he testified before the panel three weeks ago, but it gave no specifics about the alleged falsehood. The jury is investigating whether districts are following school safety laws, including those implemented after the Feb. 14, 2018, slayings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland.
Since the shooting, Runcie and district administrators have been accused by critics of lying about school crime rates and discipline problems. Attorneys for Runcie, 59, released a statement Wednesday saying he plans to plead innocent.
Also arrested Wednesday was Barbara Myrick, the school district’s attorney. Myrick, 72, is accused of unlawfully disclosing grand jury proceedings, a felony. Her indictment also didn’t disclose details.