A Colorado grandmother is set to receive $2.4 million after being arrested while naked, then strapped to a chair and tased by police officers who were supposed to be conducting a welfare check.
via NYDN:
The victim, Carolyn O’Neal, told police she was getting ready to take a bath and was in no danger when they arrived at her apartment in a sober living facility in 2014, according to the Denver Post.
After she sent the trio of deputies on their way, they reportedly let themselves in using a set of keys, threw the 49-year-old atop a bed and placed her under arrest, still nude. O’Neal was then taken into custody and bound to a chair with restraints and zapped with a Taser, twice, as cops also tried to strap down her legs. The 123-pound woman was reportedly covered with a smock and forced to wear a spit mask while being kept in that chair for four hours. It was 12 hours before she was given jail clothing, the Denver Post reported.
A jury awarded her $3.6 million in 2019, which a judge reduced to $2.1 million. Both O’Neal and Fremont county challenged that ruling, but settled for $2.4 million last week when the county dropped its appeal.
Prosecutors accused O’Neal of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, though a judge dismissed those charges, arguing officers had no right to arrest her.
One thing we’ve learned over the last few years is that the police have no boundaries. This woman is lucky to be alive, to be honest.
