Stepmom of teen accused in bullying case arrested

The stepmother of a 14-year-old accused of bullying a Florida girl prior to her suicide was arrested and charged with child abuse after a video depicting the woman beating a boy was posted on Facebook, a sheriff said Friday.

During a news conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the arrest of Vivian Vosburg, 30, on two counts of child abuse with bodily harm and four counts of child neglect is a shocking chapter in a monthslong tragic story in Central Florida.

Judd said Vosburg is the stepmother of one of two girls charged with felony aggravated stalking earlier in the week.

Judd said after detectives arrested Vosburg’s stepdaughter, people from the community saw her on TV – then sent tips to the law enforcement agency, urging them to look at the Facebook page of another of Vosburg’s children.

Detectives discovered a video posted in July 2013. According to the arrest affidavit, the video shows two boys fighting on a bed, then Vosburg steps in and begins punching and hitting the boys. One of the boys falls off the bed and appears to not move. Judd said none of the children was injured.

“This clearly indicates to us that this appears to be a normal way of life,” Judd said. “They’re laughing and cussing and throwing the F-bomb around. Then they’re posting that conduct for all to see.”

Associated Press