Preliminary hearing postponed for suspected drunken driver who was Tasered by Ypsilanti police
A 29-year-old Walled Lake man accused of drunken driving — and whose arrest raised concerns after he was Tasered by Ypsilanti police — will return to court for a preliminary hearing March 1.
Pat Thomas' scheduled hearing today was adjourned for four weeks at the request of his attorney, Mohsin A. Mashhour.
"This matter was adjourned because we just received DVDs from the prosecution that were not disclosed to us previously," Mashhour said after the hearing was adjourned.
Thomas is charged with third-offense operating while intoxicated, two counts of resisting and obstructing police officers, second-offense operating with a suspended license and having an open intoxicant in a vehicle. He was originally stopped for a noise violation, but officers later determined he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14, records show. In Michigan, it's illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher.
Ypsilanti City Manager Ed Koryzno has asked the police department to review its policies on Tasering, booking procedures, in-car videos and blood draws after a Pittsfield Township resident raised concerns about how Thomas' September arrest was handled.
Doug Smith told the Ypsilanti City Council in January that he believes police used excessive force during the Sept. 25 arrest. Thomas was Tasered three times — twice while handcuffed — after officers say he resisted arrest.
Ypsilanti Police Chief Amy Walker is expected to provide Koryzno with a report on her findings, but no deadline was set.
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AnnArbor.com reporter Lee Higgins contributed to this report.
Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.
Comments
rusty shackelford
Wed, Feb 2, 2011 : 4:49 p.m.
I'm glad at least one government is using this kind of occasion to look into the use of Tasers. We'll see how seriously, or if it's just another preordained whitewash. The argument for Tasers is that they make it easier to subdue a subject. There are two possibilities here: either they don't do a very good job, or they are frequently misused by police in order to inflict pain on suspects. Why are so many suspects exposed multiple times? What possible excuse is there for electrocuting a suspect--twice--when he is in handcuffs? Why do so few other countries' police forces find these things necessary?
steve h
Wed, Feb 2, 2011 : 4:19 p.m.
I'm ok with how the situation was handled. Keep up the good work YPD!