Officer in N.Y. Defends Using Stun Gun on Mom

[Appaholic]

Deputy pulled over a woman driving a minivan with two kids in the car

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A sheriff's deputy said in an e-mail that he made the right decision when he zapped a woman with a stun gun during a traffic stop in a Syracuse suburb this year, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Sean Andrews, in a message obtained by the Post-Standard and published Sunday on its Web site, said the video taken from the dashboard of the Onondaga County officer's car "alone does not look good to the public because the general public have difficulty putting themselves in a cop's position." But he says he was justified in using the Taser on her.

The sheriff's deputy used a Taser to subdue the woman, Audra Harmon, after pulling her minivan over. The 38-year-old mother was driving with two children in the car.

The video shows the officer stunning Harmon with two Taser shots. Harmon was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and driving 50 mph in a 45 mph zone. The charges were dismissed, and Harmon sued the sheriff's department in early August.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32618890/ns ... nd_courts/