Jail Sentence for Man Who Used Daughter As TASER Shield

A man from Michigan who employed his young daughter as a TASER shield to protect himself from the stun from the device has received a one year jail sentence.

Earlier this year, the 27-year-old man in question was initially confronted by officers who carried the self defense device; however, when the man wouldn’t cooperate with officers, the stunning device was pulled from the holster of one officer.

The incident took place when police were alerted to a home invasion that saw the man at the home of his ex wife. When the situation escalated, the man then grabbed his two-year-old daughter and in a bid to protect himself from the TASER device he placed his daughter between the two.

Fortunately, the officer didn’t utilize his device, but it wasn’t long before the 27-year-old was arrested and subsequently taken into custody.

In addition to the one year jail sentence, the man was sentenced to attend parenting classes and to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Assisting those who require it, a TASER weapon is also frequently employed to subdue unruly suspects. And yet, in this situation the simple fact that a father decided to use his daughter as a shield not only shows the person’s frame of mind, but officers were forced to find a new way of apprehending the man before he decided to take further drastic action.

It can only be hoped though, that because of his actions in using his daughter he will try to become a better father in the long run. However, while the stunning device is a non-lethal tool used by most fully trained officers, the 27-year-old man was still willing to endanger the life of his daughter in order to avoid the shock from the device himself.

Unfortunately, it may be some time before the mother of his daughter will actually trust him with their two-year-old even after he has completed his jail sentence and undergone the psychiatric evaluation and the parenting classes.

That form of trust will have to be renewed slowly over time.

And yet, while there may be people willing to use their own family members as a TASER shield, that doesn’t mean officers’ won’t find another way to apprehend a suspect one way or another.