COLUMBIA — A 20-year-old female inmate at the Boone County Jail was shocked with a Taser on Saturday afternoon by an officer, and one of the Taser probes lodged in her neck, according to Capt. Jenny Atwell of the Boone County Jail.
“The inmate has a history of violence and aggression toward correctional staff,” Atwell said. The woman was in jail for assaulting a police officer, she said. The inmate was in a local hospital as of Saturday night, said Atwell, who declined to release the inmate's name.
A nurse on staff at the jail checked the inmate, who was then moved to a local hospital for precautionary measures. Atwell said it's jail protocol to send people who have been shocked with a Taser to the hospital if the probes strike in certain areas, such as the neck.
Before being shocked with the Taser, the inmate became enraged and broke a broom handle in three places, swinging it around her, Atwell said.
“She was threatening to kill any officer who came near her and then kill herself,” Atwell said.
The inmate also poured water from a mop bucket in the doorway to prevent officers from entering.
That led an officer to shock the woman with a Taser, Atwell said. One of the probes struck the woman in the chest and another probe struck her in the neck, Atwell said.
The woman had access to the cleaning supplies because inmates are required to clean their facilities twice a day, Atwell said.