A Pittsburg County woman files a federal lawsuit against the City of McAlester, its police chief and one of the department's officers following a controversial Taser incident.
Nakina Williams filed the paperwork November 13. it will be handled by the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Oklahoma based in Muskogee. On June 24th, Williams was brought to the Pittsburg County Jail to be booked. She had been arrested on public intoxication complaints. During the process, Williams spat on McAlister police officer Sterling Taylor and seconds later, he fired his Taser at her.
Her civil lawsuit is asking for more that $75,000 dollars in pain and suffering and more than $1,000,000 to penalize the city, Officer Taylor and police chief Jim Lyles.
Williams attorneys allege that officer Taylor used excessive force. Surveillance video from the jail shows Williams' hands cuffed behind her back and her arms laying on a countertop.
The video also shows the entire ordeal from beginning to end.
After an internal police investigation, officer Sterling Taylor was put on unpaid suspension for 10 days. An open records request by Channel 8 showed McAlester Police sent a letter to officer Taylor detailing his punishment. An internal investigation found that he should have used a different tactic to subdue Williams. The letter also informed the officer he would have to attend a four-hour class on the department's Taser policy.
When he returned to duty, Sterling Taylor was placed on administrative duty at a desk in the police department, according to the attorney retained by the city in this case.
Nakina Williams suit implicates the city and police chief by claiming they didn't properly train Taylor and that they knew of Taylor's previous incidents in law enforcement.
The two sides are scheduled to meet for a conference in January.
An attorney for the city of McAlester told KTUL.com that all parties remain on active police duty.
