Ill. deputy accused zapping 3 kids with stun gun

[Kat Kanning]

Cops are such lovely people.



By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jul 20, 6:28 pm ET

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A sheriff's deputy zapped three children with a stun gun at an Illinois emergency youth shelter, threatening to sodomize one of them before choking a fourth child and throwing her in a closet, according to a federal civil-rights lawsuit.

The suit against Jefferson County sheriff's deputy David Bowers and another deputy claims they were unprovoked in the incident at the adolescent center in southern Illinois that houses youths ages 11 to 18, often with behavioral issues.

No charges have been filed in the case. Sheriff Roger Mulch, who also is named in the lawsuit, said Monday the deputies followed protocol and did "nothing out of the ordinary."

The suit, filed July 1, called the deputies' actions "extreme, outrageous and unjustified," and it does not release the names or ages of the three boys shot with the stun gun. The fourth kid was a foster child who did not live at the center, according to the lawsuit.

The suit claims that Bowers and sheriff's deputy Lonnie Lawler went to the center near Marion on July 4, 2008 in response to a report that three teenagers were acting unruly. But the young people suing the deputies were not those disruptive children, the lawsuit said.

Bowers allegedly pushed one boy toward his bed, and repeatedly shocked him with a stun gun. Bowers then held down a second boy, stunned him several times and threatened to sodomize him, ultimately causing the child to soil himself, the lawsuit claimed.

A third child complied with the deputies' demands that he sit on a couch, but Lawler handcuffed him before Bowers zapped him repeatedly, the lawsuit said.

The fourth child, a girl, pleaded with the deputies to stop but Lawler handcuffed her. Bowers lifted her off the ground, pressed her against a wall and choked her, the lawsuit alleges.

"Do you want to live or die (expletive)?" the lawsuit, filed July 1, claims Bowers asked the girl before she was thrown into a closet, vomiting.

Bowers did not immediately return messages left at his home, and Lawler does not have a listed home telephone number. It was not known whether either had an attorney.

Gene Svebakken, president and chief executive of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, which runs the center, said Monday after reviewing the lawsuit that he was "really alarmed and distressed by the allegations."

"These are young people often traumatized in their circumstances, and that they, like all children, needed to be treated with dignity and respect," he said, noting that the shelter serves a myriad of children, ranging from runaways from placement elsewhere to youths between foster homes.

Mulch portrayed the center as a chronic hassle, this year accounting for more than 100 requests for his department's help.

He defended his deputies, saying separate investigations by his department and Illinois State Police determined Bowers and Lawler did nothing wrong.

[Ogre]

I hate when they report 17-year olds as "children." Not that I'm defending the cop at all, but these could have all been 17-year olds who weighed 260 pounds each, all surrounding the cop and threatening him. And since they had behavioral issues, they likely were acting irrationally. Being hit with a stun gun while handcuffed, however, is going to be really hard to defend.

[Kat Kanning]

And there's always cases where you'd need to sodomize some kid.

[Ogre]

Oh, of course. When you have absolute personal immunity from any responsibility, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. And if sodomy is your game, why not threaten people with it when you know you will be supported with "nothing out of the ordinary," "nothing to see here, move along."

[CJS]

  East St. Louis may be the most corrupt bureaucracy in IL ... and that's saying something . The police and elected officials have been caught completely dirty several times and nothing happens , ever. I know the NAACP and the ACLU are getting very active locally .

 I agree with Ogre's train of thought 100% , but also know that in Illinois the police academy's teach our cops to be hyper aggressive .. I mean how often do we see police diffuse a tense situation any more .


IMO cops need some serious classes in manners , the instant hostility they add to any emotional situation now a days causes more trouble than it
s worth , it all comes down to the change from " Peace officers " to LEO's

[djbridgeland]

Not only that but East St. Louis has repeatably been rated the most dangerous small city (under 50,000) in America. Wait Marion the town? That's like 75 miles from East St. Louis. I should know I went to school in the area.     

[CJS]

Not only that but East St. Louis has repeatably been rated the most dangerous small city (under 50,000) in America. Wait Marion the town? That's like 75 miles from East St. Louis. I should know I went to school in the area.     

I bet you're much happier in NH ... I  really want to be some where else ... soon