Fri, Dec 05, 2008

Tucson Region

Jury clears sheriff's officers in theme-park Taser incident

Arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.28.2008
By a unanimous verdict, a federal jury found two members of the Pima County Sheriff's Department acted appropriately when they used a Taser on a man in 2003 while he was at a concert at Old Tucson Studios.
Francisco Sanchez sued the Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, Lt. Karl Woolridge and Deputy Donald Doyle, seeking damages for the incident.
Sanchez was attending a concert on May 25, 2003, at the theme park just west of Gates Pass when members of the crowd became unruly, according to court documents.
Deputies on the scene used a Taser and arrested Sanchez, who was later found not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.
But after two hours of deliberation, the jury ruled Woolridge and Doyle acted appropriately and without excessive force. Sanchez received no compensation.
In a statement, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said the case "just shows that the public does appreciate and recognize the difficult situation that law enforcement officers do on a daily basis."