Arkansas Officer Uses Taser On 10-Year-Old

November 19, 2009 10:41 a.m. EST

Ozark, AK (AHN) - A police officer in northwestern city of Arkansas used a Taser on a 10-year-old when he was called in to help the child's mother give the girl a shower before bedtime. The girl faces a charge of disorderly conduct, while the officer was suspended with pay.

According to OzarksFirst, police officer Dustin Bradshaw Tased the girl on her back after getting permission from the mother and after efforts failed to pacify the violent child. Mayor Vernon McDaniel has said proper procedures were followed but has requested outside law enforcement agencies to investigate.

The girl's mother has told 40/29 News that she was trying to protect her daughter from hurting herself.

Bradshaw has been suspended for a week pay because he did not switch on his video camera while using the Taser, which is part of the police department's policy.

According to the police reported posted on the Smoking Gun, the girl was "screaming, kicking and resisting every time her mother tried to touch her." Bradshaw tried speaking with her several times, and then carried her with the help of the mother to the shower. But the child refused to follow any instructions, so the officer "moved her into the living room and told her she was going to jail."

Bradshaw began to try arresting the child, who remained unruly. "[She] struck me with her legs and feet in the groin. The subject was actively resisting arrest at this time," the officer wrote. The girl was handcuffed and taken to the Cecil Youth Shelter after Bradshaw "administered a very very brief drive stun" with his Taser.

The girl faces a charge of disorderly conduct when she is released from the shelter, 40/29 News reports.