LOGAN, Ohio (WCMH) — Schools at one district in Hocking County are under lockout protocol Thursday morning after a video posted to Facebook showing a woman being tased and forcibly removed from a Logan Middle School football game went viral.
Superintendent Monte Bainter said Logan Hocking Local schools were placed under lockout protocol after receiving threats district-wide. Law enforcement is investigating, and it is believed the threats are related to the incident at the game.
The video was taken Wednesday by a spectator in another section of the stands. It shows an officer talking to the woman and then attempting to handcuff her. When she does not comply with his orders, he applies a taser to her shoulder area and finishes cuffing her.
“Tasing this lady over not wearing a d— mask,” says a person on the video.
In a statement, the Logan-Hocking Local School District identified the woman as a fan of the opposing team. The opponent in the game was Marietta.
In a news release Monday morning, Logan police identified the woman as Alecia Kitts and the officer as School Resource Officer Chris Smith. The statement asserts that Kitts was not tased for failing to wear a mask but for failing for comply with Smith’s request that she leave.
The statement from police read in part:
It is important to note, the female was not arrested for failing to wear a mask, she was asked to leave the premises for continually violating school policy. Once she refused to leave the premises, she was advised she was under arrest for criminal trespassing, she resisted the arrest, which led to the use of force.
After being escorted out, police say that Kitts refused treatment from local EMS.
Earlier, the Logan-Hocking Local School District issued this statement:
“During a middle school football game held at the Logan-Hocking Local School District on the evening of September 23, 2020, an attendee was asked to comply with the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s and the athletic facility’s policies. The attendee refused to do so and consequently was asked to leave by the attending law enforcement officer. After resisting the request to exit the premises, the individual was apprehended at the discretion of the attending law enforcement officer. The school district is not able to comment further on details of the incident due to the ongoing investigation.”
Eric Halperin of NBC4 is on the his way to Logan and will have more on this story as it develops.
