By Jarrel Wade Tulsa World McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents are looking into an incident at the Pittsburg County Jail in which a McAlester police officer used a Taser on a handcuffed woman who had spit on him, video of the incident and reports show.
Assistant Police Chief Darrell Miller said five-year veteran Officer Sterling Taylor has remained on active duty since the June 24 incident, which administration officials determined to be within policy, according to a use-of-force report. Once completed, the OSBI investigation will be turned over to the Pittsburg County District Attorney's Office, Miller said.
Taylor has no disciplinary actions against him on his record since he was hired in 2005, Miller confirmed. Miller said he could not comment further on the investigation.
Nakina Williams, 28, of Okmulgee, had spit on the officer who then Tased Williams to prevent her from spitting again, according to the report. Williams, who was charged in Pittsburg County with assault and battery on a police officer, expectorating on a police officer and public intoxication, said she was provoked to spit on the officer.
Williams pleaded guilty to the charges and was given a suspended sentence to run concurrently with another suspended sentence for unpaid child support.
"When we got to the police station he kept making little comments to me while I was handcuffed, so I spit on him and he Tased me," Williams said. "He Tased me right in my chest by my heart."
Williams said she was intoxicated and had been drinking at a friend's house at about 4 a.m. before she came into contact with officers.
"He saw me walking and he pulled me over," she said. "I was, like, two houses down from my house."
Williams said she was arrested for public intoxication and fines for unpaid child support.
"He handcuffed me and he grabbed my arms," Williams said. "He was basically being rough with me, but I figured it was because he wanted me to go to jail. I wasn't resisting or anything then."
It was at the booking station at Pittsburg County Jail that Williams admits she began to "resist."
"We were having a conflict because I was drunk, and he called me a 'drunk Indian,' " Williams said.
After Williams spit on Taylor, the officer pulled out his Taser and shot the weapon's barbs into Williams chest, above her left breast, records show. Records show the Taser fired a single five-second cycle.
Williams complied with officers after the Tasing, according to the report. Miller said the OSBI and Pittsburg County District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident.
According to McAlester Police Department Rules and Regulations, officers are required to use the "least amount of force ... before advancing to the next, more forceful method."
Levels of force in ascending order are listed as: mere presence, verbal and gestured commands, physical contact without weapons, physical contact with non-deadly weapons and the highest level — deadly force.
According to McAlester Police Department Taser policy, the Taser should be used when "attempts to subdue the subject by other conventional tactics have been, or will likely be, ineffective in the situation at hand; or there is a reasonable expectation that it will be unsafe for officers to approach within contact range of the subject."
Williams, who police reports show is 4 feet 11 inches and about 140 pounds, said it was unnecessary for the officer to Taser her. Video of the incident shows Sterling was within an arm's reach of Williams when she spit on him.
Copyright 2012 The Tulsa World



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