COLUMBIA — An inmate at the Boone County Jail who was shocked with a Taser by a corrections officer Saturday was returned to the general population of the jail shortly after the incident.
Capt. Jenny Atwell of the Boone County Jail said the use of the device on the inmate, Theresa Jones, 20, of Columbia, was justified and that there is “no question” that the officer who used the Taser was in compliance with the jail’s protocol involving the use of force on inmates.
“The officer was faced with a deadly force situation,” Atwell said, meaning the officer would have been justified to use deadly force against Jones.
Atwell said no disciplinary action would be taken against the officer and the jail seeks to file additional criminal charges against Jones, but did not say what those charges would be.
Jones’ name was not immediately released to the media because of “officer safety” issues, and because the inmate was outside of the secured jail facility while being taken to the hospital, Atwell said.
During the incident, Jones broke a broom handle into three pieces and threatened physical harm to officers and herself if they came close to her. She also dumped a bucket of water on the floor in an attempt to prevent officers from approaching her, according to a previous Missourian report.
An officer then shocked Jones with a Taser, and the probes from the device struck Jones in the chest and neck. Because Jones was struck in the neck, she was taken to University Hospital as a precautionary measure.
Jones was in jail for assaulting a police officer.