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Subscribe to RSSMOUNT STERLING, Ohio -- An Ohio police officer says he used a stun gun twice on a 9-year-old who skipped school because the child refused to cooperate with his commands.
Details of the incident, which resulted in the shutdown of a village police force, were released Monday, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The Mount Sterling officer went to the boy's home on a truancy complaint last week. He says the child's mother warned the boy, who weighs between 200 and 250 pounds, to obey the officer or he'd be shocked.
According to a copy of the police report provided by the mayor’s office to msnbc.com, the officer wrote that the boy “dropped to the floor and became dead weight” and lay on his hands to prevent being handcuffed.
“He refused any and all orders. I told him if he did not stop flailing and place his hands behind his back, I would deploy the Taser on him. He still did not comply to my orders to stop resisting,” the officer wrote.
The officer said he deployed the stun gun twice before he was able to handcuff the boy. The child was checked by a medic before being taken to the sheriff’s office, and a delinquency count of resisting arrest was added to his truancy charge, according to the police report.
The village police chief, Mike McCoy, announced Monday night that he will resign from his post but said it has nothing to do with the Taser incident. McCoy read a statement that said the village’s declining budget keeps him from doing his job, according to the Dispatch.
“Basically, the funds we have here are very low and he wasn’t able to keep in budget,” Mayor Charles Neff said of the police chief.
McCoy was placed on paid leave late last week from his $49,900-a-year job for waiting two days before telling the mayor about the incident.
The loss of the chief effectively meant the end of the village’s police department, since he was the only full-time officer. The others were part time or volunteers, Neff has said.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has taken on the task of patrolling Mount Sterling, which has a population of about 1,800.
Neff said state authorities are investigating whether the officer used excessive force or otherwise acted inappropriately in subduing the boy.
Read the full Columbus Dispatch story.
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A 200-250 Lbs nine (9) year old..... Clearly there are much bigger problems than school. With this in mind, yes the officer used excessive and uncalled for force.
I think what the Cop did may have caused more problems than it cured...I think that not only will this Kid become even more uncontrolable with His Mother but also with any Cop as He will become a Cop hater and will grow up to be a Cop Killer because He will distrust them and think that they are out to hurt Him anytime He is confronted!
He'd most likely be right too. Thugs with badges generally can't be trusted.
The cop should've set the dogs on him. I bet if they beefed up their canine unit they wouldn't have anymore problems. Couple a Dobie's, maybe a Rottie. Get a wolfhound just for show, parades, that sort of thing.
What would have been a better way to deal with this situation? I just hope it doesn't involve tazers in the future.
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I love it!
Too bad the officer didnt tase the parent(s?) for letting the kid get so huge and out of control!
First of all we don't know if the kid is overweight because of the parent's eating habits, or because of medical issues.
Secondly it doesn't matter. No police officer should use a taser on a 9 year old child. That is excessive force. And to add 'resisting' arrest?
The police officer should never be allowed to have children, let alone be around them.
And as the parents have failed that child, I say remove him from 'their' care. It wouldn't be the first time that a child whose 'well being' was in doubt, was removed from the 'parents' and put in 'foster' care.
It's quite obvious that you have all the answers. It is equally obvious that society is fortunate that you are not in any sort of official authority in legal and family matters. This applies, as well, to all the other presumptuous, rush to judgement, punish someone, anyone, conclusion-jumping twits here.
I have two boys ages 8 & 9 Any i repeat any cop who electrifies my kids with 50,000 volts before they are 18 yrs. old, i will take it as a threat to they`re life and i will react as so! Now a kid who weighs that much is going to have problems at school! In the old days moms stayed home and cooked and taught they`re kids what life is about! Now days moms run a muck and let the kids raise themselves and feed them fast food which has chemicals that makes them eat more! A leather belt across his @$$ would have been the most informative to that child! Whats next are they going to kill him for skipping school! Sick b@$t@rds!
I don't know which is worse..A 9 year old kid that weights 200-250 pounds..Or the fact the kid got tasered..I think the parent is the worse, FOR LETTING HER 9 YEAR OLD KID WEIGH OVER 200 POUNDS!
Children's Hope and Voice, a child advocacy non-profit, supports any investigation into excessive force by this police officer. We encourage advocacy for this boy and his family.
www.childrenshopeandvoice.org