In the latest blunder by police, a Florida woman was tasered by police in the neck and the chest. That wasn’t necessarily the worst part. The deputy realized the mistake, tried to cover it up, and later sent an apology cake that read,”Sorry I Tased You.” A federal law suit has been filed for civil rights violations by the victim.
Stephanie Byron of Pensacola Florida filed suit against the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, David Morgan and Deputy Michael Wohlers. According to Byron, Wohlers came to her work for unknown reasons and began harassing the employees. She alleges that Wohlers fired his taser at her, striking her in the neck resulting in “hardships, including physical injuries, monetary loss, medical expenses, humiliation and mental anguish,” according to the suit.
It is unclear why Wohlers was at Byron’s work. According to the Sheriff’s office, Byron was tasered during “horseplay.” Byron refutes this, stating that Wohlers became upset with her when she wouldn’t cater to his harassment. At one point, possibly joking around, Wohlers took Byron’s iced tea that she was drinking and refused to give it back. No one has clarified how this led to a taser deployment, nor has Wohlers made a statement justifying his actions. According to the complaint, he then “ jumped onto Ms. Byron, kneeling her in the chest.” He then “forcefully removed the Taser prods.” Something is certainly afoot here, as the little amount of information released by both parties fails to paint a cohesive picture. The description of events fails to answer important questions like why was the officer there in the first place?
Byron was shocked and appalled when she received a text message from Wohlers stating that he had baked her a cake and wanted to give it to her. The message contained a photo of the cake, which had the “Sorry I Tased You” decoration on it. The defense had their own take on events. Wohler’s lawyers claimed that even if Byron was telling the truth, that their client’s actions amounted to at most simple negligence. The department is claiming that Wohlers has “qualified immunity,” as he did not knowingly violate someones rights while performing his duty.
This is a case of obvious wrongdoing and misconduct, resulting in the physical injury of an innocent female accused of no crime. Wohlers can’t have it both ways. He can’t tell the department it was horseplay, while having his lawyers succumb to the allegation that it was more. Fortunately for his community, Wohlers resigned while under investigation. According to a department spokesman, he was not on duty or acting in an official capacity at the time of the incident. Neither side has stated whether or not Byron and Wohlers knew each other prior to that day, however there is obviously more to the story than we are being told.
Despite the allegations, the tasering and the insulting cake that Wohlers thought would be a good idea, he will most likely serve as an officer again in the not too distant future. After the incident was reviewed by the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and training Commission, his law enforcement certification was only suspended for a period of one year. All too often, we see officers commit egregious acts against the public and suffer only a slap on the wrist. This case is no different. Although Wohler’s discipline has been handed down from the state, he still awaits his civil trial where it is likely to be the only place Byron will receive justice.
Sources: USA Today.
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