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Deputy Tasers 90-Pound 13-Year-Old Girl At Hospital
WFTV ^ | 6/24/05 | AP

Posted on 06/24/2005 10:07:17 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection

A deputy Tasered an intoxicated 13-year-old girl who was kicking and scratching two hospital nurses, officials said.

April Rene Burleson, who is 4-foot-9 and weighs 90 pounds, had a blood alcohol level of 0.175 percent and was under the influence of marijuana and the prescription drug Xanax, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

"You have to understand, she was lashing out, kicking and scratching," sheriff's spokeswoman Ileana LiMarzi. "She was acting like an adult who needed to be restrained. Just because she's 13 doesn't mean she can't harm somebody."

Burleson was charged with loitering, disorderly public intoxication, battery by a juvenile on health services personnel, battery on an officer and resisting an officer. She was sent to the Lee County Juvenile Assessment Center.

Burleson was walking on the street at 2:50 a.m. Thursday when a deputy picked her up on the loitering charge. She was first brought to her mother, who agreed to have the girl medically cleared at Lee Memorial Hospital before being processed.

According to sheriff's reports, Burleson had been combative with Deputy Chad Edwards before they reached the hospital, then screamed at the hospital staff and injured the nurses and Edwards.

Burleson was shocked with the Taser in the chest, then held in four-point restraints during her exam, deputies said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: florida; news
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To: TASMANIANRED

I've seen a patient break a nurses jaw but never the other way around.

My mom worked in a mental hospital in the 50's. Before Thorazine. Before tasers. And it wasn't the juvenile wing.

41 posted on 06/24/2005 7:45:14 PM PDT by elli1
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To: elli1

"My mom worked in a mental hospital in the 50's. Before Thorazine. Before tasers. And it wasn't the juvenile wing."

Are you saying your mom broke a patients jaw.


42 posted on 06/24/2005 7:47:15 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (Democrats haven't had a new idea since Karl Marx.)
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To: TASMANIANRED

Are you saying your mom broke a patients jaw.

Absolutely not.

43 posted on 06/24/2005 7:50:02 PM PDT by elli1
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To: I still care

I would think if they're close enough to taser, they're close enough to use a 'tranquilizing dart'.


44 posted on 06/24/2005 7:58:17 PM PDT by mommadooo3 (Old concept in justice. If the law won't take care of it, it's just us.)
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To: Mr. Lucky

LOL!!!!!!


45 posted on 06/24/2005 8:02:01 PM PDT by skr (May God bless those in harm's way and confound those who would do the harming)
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To: mommadooo3

They probably didn't know what chemicals she had in her at that point, as well as not knowing her weight for dosage.

If she had died, there might be some news value to this report; but she didn't, so why does it matter how she had to be restrained? What's the acceptable weight of biting, kicking people for tasering? They must've used a low setting, if there is such a thing, since they still had to restrain her afterwards.


46 posted on 06/24/2005 8:16:25 PM PDT by skr (May God bless those in harm's way and confound those who would do the harming)
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To: oldbrowser
No doubt that they probably saved her life

April Rene Burleson, who is 4-foot-9 and weighs 90 pounds

Yeah, they have put a bullet in her brain.

47 posted on 06/24/2005 8:21:30 PM PDT by Doe Eyes
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To: Fawn

If you have ever been in a close up situation with a totally berserk person, I don't think you would be asking that question. Particularly one that's chemically induced. It defies belief.


48 posted on 06/24/2005 8:22:51 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s......you weren't really there.)
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To: Fawn
Sorry Fawn, but do you expect grown Men to be able to handle a 90 pound, 13 year old, girl?
49 posted on 06/24/2005 8:27:12 PM PDT by Doe Eyes
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
WHAT is so hard about all this?

If the little ho want to ACT like an animal,

shoot her with a tranquilizer dart!

:)

50 posted on 06/24/2005 8:29:03 PM PDT by MamaTexan (NEVER underestimate the ~power~ of righteous indignation!!)
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To: blu
I'm starting to think that our law enforcement guys are a bunch of pantywaists!! It seems like they're all afraid of getting hurt.

Just curious, when and what was your last injury?

51 posted on 06/24/2005 8:29:35 PM PDT by Judith Anne (Thank you St. Jude for favors granted.)
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To: ChildOfThe60s

Agreed. 100%.


52 posted on 06/24/2005 8:34:42 PM PDT by Judith Anne (Thank you St. Jude for favors granted.)
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To: somniferum
Since this was happening in closed quarters they probably couldn't use pepper spray.. I really dont know what another alternative would be.. whack her in the head with a billy club?

If you can't control a 90-lb (40kg) 13-year-old girl with your hands on her wrists and some stern, calm talk, then you are way too pussified to be a cop. All of those drugs are "downers" and she was chemically predidposed to passivity.

Incidentally, regarding your tagline: I'm not sure where you got that from, but I believe the proper translation is "A military operation involves deception." Your version, "All war is deception," is factually erroneous and philosphically *stupid*.

53 posted on 06/24/2005 9:03:15 PM PDT by Yeti
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To: TASMANIANRED
Ditto.

An orthopedist I know had his wrist shattered by a patient. They were unable to repair it and restore function to his hand. He is now out of a job.

54 posted on 06/24/2005 9:05:49 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
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To: kharaku

>A taser is NOT the weapon to restrain someone in that state. It is a good way to potentially give them a heart attack however.

Sounds reasonable, but what should they have done instead?


55 posted on 06/24/2005 10:39:12 PM PDT by TChad
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

I'm afraid that if I was her mother and had access to a taser I'd have to use it. 13 and drunk AND stoned? She needs an azz whoopin' and then she needs some serious help.


56 posted on 06/24/2005 10:43:15 PM PDT by tiki
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

dat devil weed marijuana!!!


57 posted on 06/24/2005 10:45:22 PM PDT by antmanbee
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To: Yeti
Several of us old "bug housers", many of whom worked in children's programs for years are getting a kick out of your comments.

Also FYI kids often have opposite reactions to drugs as compared to adults, can be amazingly strong and extremely quick and agile. Don't let their size fool you.

The purpose is to subdue with the least amount of danger to the patient AND staff. I personally would not have preferred a tazer in any take down I was involved in, but we were never allowed darts either. Just an IM, in which the needle often came back broke or bent, and hopefully you didn't jab your coworker at the same time. Heck, sometimes coworkers ended up in the melee mistakenly restrained to the patient. It can be a real free for all.
58 posted on 06/24/2005 10:47:33 PM PDT by tertiary01 (It took 21 years but 1984 finally got here.)
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To: Fawn

bony assed little ferret woulda slipped right out of them!!


59 posted on 06/24/2005 10:49:02 PM PDT by antmanbee
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Crack babies become this, according to people I know. It's sad.


60 posted on 06/24/2005 10:58:00 PM PDT by BobS
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