Woman Claims Excessive Force, EPD Disputes Claims with Body Cam Video

**kellyhound** · #1 ● 06-16-2014, 03:40 PM

Evansville resident Sheila Chester is outraged after she says police used excessive force during her arrest.

Evansville police have conducted an internal review of the incident and Sgt. Jason Cullum explains the department has the evidence to dispute the woman's claims.

Chester says she was sitting in her parked car near Columbia and Governor when another car side swiped her.

Chester says she and the other driver exchanged information and then the woman called police to file an official report.

When an officer arrived, Sheila says he asked for her license, registration and proof of insurance.

Sheila says she couldn't find proof of insurance, so she gave her license to the officer.

Police say the officer was able to lookup Sheila's registration with her license plates.

Both sides agree that when Sheila found her insurance card, she would bring it to the officer in his car.

The officer's body camera video shows Sheila bringing multiple documents to the officer, none of which are proof of insurance.

In the video, the officer repeatedly instructs Sheila to go back to her car and continue to look for the proof of insurance.

"She positions herself at the car door, where he has told her six times to get away from the car and to stop yelling at him," Sgt. Cullum says.

"He tries three more times to get her to go back to her car so he can do the report."

Sheila admits that she curses at the officer when he tells her he is going to give her a ticket if she doesn't have the insurance card.

In the body camera video, Sheila is yelling at the officer. He opens the doors and hits Sheila in the mouth with the car door.

"He said put your hands behind your back and he had my hands. I said how can I?" Sheila says.

"He said ‘I'm going to shock you,' so he starts shocking me everywhere. And I said, ‘why are you doing this to me?"

The police department says after the internal review, the officer used his taser twice on Sheila.

Police explain that the taser can be heard in the video, but it isn't being held against her the entire time.

Officials determined that the officer told Sheila 11 times to put her hands behind her back. During that timeframe, the officer warned Sheila he would use the taser 4 times.

In the video, Sheila does ask the officer to handcuff her in the front -- but policy says officers must handcuff suspects from behind.

The officer can also be heard telling Sheila that he is not trying to hurt her.

Several officers arrived on scene for backup, but only one other officer had to physically assist with the arrest.

After internal review, the department determined that the officer did not use excessive force.

Sheila was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement.

Sheila thinks she was victimized twice, once during the car accident and once during her arrest.

"I think the way you treated me, officer, was cruel," Sheila says.

"And I don't see why you hurt me that way. I don't think you treated me like a black person, I don't think you treated me like a white person, I think you treated me like somebody you were angry and fierce at. And the way I was treated, was wrong."

Sheila and her daughter say they are not asking that the officer be fired or even be disciplined.

c4lmn · #2 ● 06-16-2014, 07:11 PM

Hmm cool for keeping his cool

Shakey · #3 ● 06-18-2014, 01:58 PM

Just do what they ask.

dwizzy22 · #4 ● 06-28-2014, 10:55 PM

and he gets the shit cop car

Desensitisation · #5 ● 06-29-2014, 02:32 AM

I see another stupid entitled bitch who can't accept that she fucked up not having any insurance and getting mouthy with a cop.

gabe25 · #6 ● 06-29-2014, 11:55 PM

Anytime someone brings a pile of papers to a cop to look through - in the case - you can bet they don't have what was asked for. She didn't have insurance and was trying to distract. The officer was very patient,she got what she deserved.