Ohio Police Department DOUBLES DOWN Says Officer Within Rights to Tase Woman Over Not Wearing Mask at Football Game

PRESS RELEASE from Logan, Ohio Police Department

On September 23rd at approximately 5:30 P.M. School Resource Officer Chris Smith was working a special duty detail at the Logan High School Stadium for the 7th and 8th grade football games.

The special duty assignment was requested by the Logan Hocking School District to help ensure the safety of the fans and athletes during their inside and outside sporting events.

One of the duties of the assignment is to ensure fans and are complying with CDC, Ohio Health Department, Ohio Athletic Association and Logan Hocking School District policy rules and guidelines.

One of these policy guidelines mandated by the Logan Hocking School District is that all spectators must wear a mask while on school property.

Officer Smith was walking in the stadium and observed a female sitting in the stands without a mask, he approached the female and advised her she needed to put her mask on as required by the school policy.

The female advised that she had asthma and was not going to put it on. Officer Smith advised the female several times that she needed to put her mask on, and that if she did not, she would be asked to leave and would have wait outside the stadium.

The female continually refused his request and Officer Smith advised her that if she refused to leave, she would be cited for trespassing and escorted off the property.

After several attempts to get her to leave, Officer Smith advised her she was under arrest for criminal trespassing and asked her to place her hands behind her back multiple times and she refused.

Officer Smith attempted to place her hand behind her back, the female began resisting by pulling away from the Officer and another female began interfering with the arrest.

Officer Smith advised her to comply or he would deploy his Taser if she did not quit resisting. She continued to resist, and Officer Smith placed his Taser on her shoulder area and drive stunned her once.

He was able to successfully handcuff the female at that time. An additional officer arrived and assisted in walking the female out of the stadium.

She continued to try to pull away from the officers while being escorted out of the stadium and had to be placed into the cruiser.

The female initially refused to identify herself. Hocking County Emergency Medical Services was requested and responded to the scene. The female refused treatment.

The female was later identified as Alicia D. Kitts.

She was charged with Criminal Trespassing and released at the scene.

Additional charges are pending on Mrs. Kitts and another female subject involved in the incident. It is important to note, the female was not arrested for failing to wear a mask, she was asked to leave the premises for continually violating school policy.

Once she refused to leave the premises, she was advised she was under arrest for criminal trespassing, she resisted the arrest, which led to the use of force.

This is an unfortunate incident for everyone involved. The incident remains under investigation.