12-year-old tased by police officer

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by article

A 12-year-old girl was Tasered by a police officer inside a Victoria's Secret store in St. Louis last week.
The officer says that the girl,Dejamon Baker, was physically interfering and refusing to back away as he attempted to arrest her mother, Charlene Bratton, according to KSDK. He had approached Bratton because she had several outstanding warrants for unresolved traffic tickets, the station reported.
During the arrest attempt, Baker, along with another unidentified female, "charged the officer," according to the St. Louis County Crime Report published on Patch. He ultimately arrested Bratton, Baker, and the third female, though only the 12-year-old was subjected to the electrical shock. It's unknown what charges they face.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1729527.html

[Kevin]

I really don't see anything wrong with this.

The girl was 15, not 12.

Also, traffic citations? With her record, she really needs to take care of her tickets.

Charlene Elizabeth Bratton plead guilty to drug trafficking in 2008 and again in 2009. She plead guilty to possession of marijuana in 2009. This lady is a felon and if she's saying that her daughter was just standing there innocently and was tazed, I'm not buying it.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

The girl was 15, not 12.

Dejamon Baker is 12 years old. Dejamon Baker was tasered by the police officer.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Dejamon Baker is 12 years old. Dejamon Baker was tasered by the police officer.

Whatever. Looking at the mother's record, I'm not buying the mother's story, nor the daughters. If you interfere with a police officer and only get the tazer and no criminal charges, that's a good day.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Whatever.

No, not whatever. Dejamon Baker is 12 years old.

I can understand a CHILD crying and being frantic if a parent is being (what the child may perceive as) randomly arrested at the mall. The 12-year-old CHILD was the only person tasered.

Controlling for her mother's traffic warrants, perhaps you would view tasering a 12 year old child differently if she looked like this 12 year old girl:

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

No, not whatever. Dejamon Baker is 12 years old.

Controlling for her mother's traffic warrants, perhaps you would view tasering a 12 year old child differently if she looked like this 12 year old girl:

Nope and what a classless move to even suggest as much.

I don't care how old the child was. If she was not obeying lawful orders and the officer followed appropriate procedures for escalation of force, that's all I care about. Ultimately, what the officer did prevented all involved from escalating the violence any further and much to my surprise, only the mother went to jail that day. It sounds like the officer used a lot of discretion in not charging the other individuals who were interfering.

From the story, apparently another adult was also engaged in the resistance. This felon-mother wasn't going away quietly.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Nope and what a classless move to even suggest as much.

You should have stuck with "no" and left out the "classless" edit. You would not be the first person whose opinions are shaped by appearance.

Originally Posted by Kevin

I don't care how old the child was.

If I did not think the words "class," "classy," and "classless," were really stupid when not dealing with social class and socioeconomic status, I would say that it is "classless" for you to believe that a child of any age should be tased.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

You should have stuck with "no" and left out the "classless" edit. You would not be the first person whose opinions are shaped by appearance.

My first edit was a lot more crass. What you implied there was a jackass thing to imply.

If I did not think the words "class," "classy," and "classless," were really stupid when not dealing with social class and socioeconomic status, I would say that it is "classless" for you to believe that a child of any age should be tased.

I'm sure the officer would have loved to hear you lecture him about class and white privilege and such while he was effecting an arrest on a felon with her 12-year old and other adults interfering in the arrest.

If you don't pay your tickets, you go to the pokey. You resist a police officer, you get hurt. Actions have consequences and stupidity knows no race or class.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

He had approached Bratton because she had several outstanding warrants for unresolved traffic tickets, the station reported.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1729527.html

Very poor job of reporting by Huff Post, not by you, Dr. Phil. The warrants were for drug TRAFFICKING, not traffic tickets.

Looks to me like this child might have seen her mother arrested on a couple of other occasions...

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by thetalady

Very poor job of reporting by Huff Post, not by you, Dr. Phil. The warrants were for drug TRAFFICKING, not traffic tickets.

Looks to me like this child might have seen her mother arrested on a couple of other occasions...

Are you getting that from the comments? I checked the Missouri courts page and there aren't any currently filed cases pending for drug charges. In fact, the last thing she was convicted of was marijuana possession in '09 and before that, trafficking in the 2nd degree.

Of course I'm not sure at what point those charges would show up online. 'Round here, we can access everything from the probable cause affidavit to the original charges online before the arrest warrant even comes down. Mizzou might be different.

At any rate, I sort of doubt it was for trafficking considering she was apparently able to afford to post bail as she would have been unavailable for that interview otherwise.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

My first edit was a lot more crass. What you implied there was a jackass thing to imply.

And I stand behind that post 100%.

As evidenced by....

Originally Posted by Kevin

I'm sure the officer would have loved to hear you lecture him about class and white privilege and such while he was effecting an arrest on a felon with her 12-year old and other adults interfering in the arrest.

You completely missed what I was saying in that post. Completely. That is okay because you have confirmed why I stand behind my other post 100%.

Originally Posted by thetalady

Very poor job of reporting by Huff Post, not by you, Dr. Phil. The warrants were for drug TRAFFICKING, not traffic tickets.

Looks to me like this child might have seen her mother arrested on a couple of other occasions...

Every reputable news source that I found states "traffic tickets." There are some ignorant forums that state "drug trafficking." If you can find news sources that confirm that it is drug trafficking, please post the links.

That does not mean that a 12 year old child should be tasered but I do like to have the correct facts.

[Kevin]

From what I have found, she at least one prior conviction for trafficking which is still open. She has other cases which are closed--about 5 or 6 criminal charges. She ain't good people.

I kind of doubt a county sheriff would have hunted this lady down in a Victoria Secret without there being some other reason to arrest her on just a traffic ticket though.

That said, I can find no evidence of trafficking charges and I would think that at this stage, there'd be something online.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Every reputable news source that I found states "traffic tickets." There are some ignorant forums that state "drug trafficking." If you can find news sources that confirm that it is drug trafficking, please post the links.

Try this: https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ca...earchType=name

and enter her name Charlene E Bratton and note the criminal drug cases for several years.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by thetalady

Try this: https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ca...earchType=name

and enter her name Charlene E Bratton and note the criminal drug cases for several years.

Does that mean that she was being arrested for a drug trafficking warrant last week?

I should create a thread about Charlene E. Bratton because this thread is about a 12 year old child being tasered.

[Kevin]

None of those cases are very current.