BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A Port Allen Police Officer has been arrested on malfeasance and aggravated battery charges after allegedly using a taser on a handcuffed 67-year-old man in the back of a police vehicle.
Officers’ body cameras captured the incident, according to an affidavit.
The incident began after officers were dispatched to a Port Allen home after 2:40 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27 in response to a complaint that a 67-year-old man was breaking out a window of his sister’s house.
Officer Nolan Dehon III and another Port Allen officer arrived to the home and found the man on an enclosed porch attached to the house. Dehon reportedly pulled out his taser and pointed it at the man while he ordered the man to leave the porch. The man complied.
Dehon then instructed the other officer to handcuff the man and put him in the officer’s police vehicle. The man tried to get into the vehicle but struggled due to his height and back pain. He was neither refusing to get into the vehicle nor being physically combative toward the officers, according to the affidavit.
After the man finally got into the police unit, Dehon told the other officer to take the man out of the vehicle.
That’s when the man started yelling for help, and the other officer told him to stop screaming. Dehon then pulled out his taser again and pointed it at the man.
“Scream again, go ahead, scream,” Dehon said, according to the affidavit.
The man yelled again, and Dehon pressed the taser against his body and pulled the trigger, causing the man to scream in pain and fall to his left side onto the seat of the vehicle.
While the victim was still off balance and slumped on the seat, Dehon reportedly warned him about screaming again. When the victim yelled again, Dehon tased him a second time. Arrest reports say the officer sent 50,000 volts of electricity into the 67-year-olds body.
The officers then shut the door and transported the man to the Port Allen Police Department.
Dehon issued the man a misdemeanor summons for disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.
While at the police department, the man complained of back pain, and the other reporting officer called an ambulance to take him to Baton Rouge General.
The sequence of events was captured on body cameras and was not consistent with the police report that Dehon prepared, according to the affidavit. District attorney Tony Clayton says the incident is alarming.
“I thought the video is disturbing,” Clayton said. “We made the call to put the video and the facts surrounding this case before a grand jury.”
State Representative Ted James is proposing bills to make all police officers held accountable for their actions.
“We have officers that we know have violated the public trust,” James said. “When this bill gets passed it will hopefully restore some trust in the process.”
The Port Allen Police Department released this statement below:
In an effort to remain transparent, Chief Corey Hicks is releasing the following press release:
On March 29, 2021, the Port Allen Police Department received a citizen-initiated complaint regarding the conduct of one of the City’s police officers. The citizen reported that he had been unnecessarily tased by one of the City’s officers. After receiving the complaint, an investigation was launched. The investigation was conducted by representatives of both the Port Allen Police Department and the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. After concluding the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office did charge the officer with Malfeasance in Office and Aggravated Battery. The matter has been sent to the District Attorneys’ office. The officer has been placed on leave.
Chief Hicks holds his officers to a high standard and maintains a Zero Tolerance Policy for Officers.
At this time Chief Hicks has no further statements or comments.