Posted on 06/02/2009 7:20:45 AM PDT by BGHater
A 72-year-old woman is pulled over for speeding, then tasered and sent to jail. Kathryn Winkfein says she drives to Austin about twice a month to do her shopping. But on a Monday afternoon, a Travis County Constable deputy pulled her over, on her way back to Granite Schoals.
"Due to being a construction zone, and workers being present," Pct. 3 Constable Richard McCain said, "it was 45, she was doing 60."
Winkfein admits she was speeding in the dangerous strip of Highway 71 and Bee Creek.
"He explained to her," Constable McCain said, "sign the ticket stub, it's not an admission of guilt. It's a promise to appear in court. She didn't want to. She said take me to jail."
That's when the officer says Winkfein exited her vehicle and didn't cooperate.
"She refused to get off the side of the road, he said to her, Ma'am, you're under arrest. She used profanity," the Constable said. He adds she got violent, and the officer used a taser on her.
Winkfein showed FOX 7 her taser scars.
"Here and here. Two places, side by side. It's unreal. It's like an electric shock," she said.
A shock Winkfein believes she didn't deserve.
"I wasn't argumentative, I was not combative. This is a lie. All of this is a lie, pulled away from him I did not," she said, reading the arrest affidavit.
The great-grandmother was taken to the Travis County Jail, where she was booked for resisting arrest and detention. She was released shortly after. Now, Winkfein has hired attorneys to protect her rights.
When asked if it was appropriate for the arresting officer to have used a taser, Constable McCain answered yes.
That’s for government and juries. We’ve got no mandate to pretend anyone is innocent. ;-)
She looks dangerous to me.
My grandmother was mean, self righteous, snotty and combative, it took us a while to realize that aging and brain disease was accentuating the most unpleasant parts of her natural personality and that she had lost her ability to gauge and judge social situations as well as losing impulse control long before she lost actual memory and other skills.
She was a terror for a couple of years.
I think we might be related. You just nailed my Granny.
Yeah. sarc/
She always liked me best, though!
Well... yes. That is what a taser does.
Reserving judgement until the cam footage or other evidence is released.
That’s kinda my view, a 72 year old woman could easily suffer a fatal injury from a fall. Most people fall down when tazed.
Guess she’s lucky he didn’t shoot her.
You talking about the cop or the old lady?
Mean old lady or not, no male officer anywhere should consider tasing an unarmed old woman. It seems that we have crossed a line between LEOs using common sense and using excessive force when dealing with civilians.
No mandate just a Constitutional declaration that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. So as far as a cop goes everyone is innocent, especially a 72 year old woman. But then we all know cops consider every ‘citizen’ guilty already.
Just remember that young fools simply turn into old fools.
In a free country you CAN talk to a cop any way you want and nothing should happen. Talk, is not the same as assault. Anyone here still think we're free?
There are plenty of cops who would lie flagrantly about what actually happened. I will never trust a cop again.
Both, but then we know he tazed her. That may be legal but it certainly isn’t moral. Just another steroid enhanced donut munching thug IMO.
I agree with what you are saying, HOWEVER, if a policeman cannot handle an elderly female without tasering her........where she might fall and break her hip, why is he a cop? do they even train these guys?
Taser grannie for good measure, comrade.
It does sound harsh, but the alternative would also be harsh. He could have dislocated her shoulder trying to cuff her or could have put her in a choke hold.
That explains congress.
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