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Judge OKs Release Of Deputy Accused Of Using Taser On Wife

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By THOMAS W.  KRAUSE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 8, 2008

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• Previous: Deputy Used Stun Gun On Wife, Sheriff's Office Says
• Conditions Set On Release

Carlos Thomas Tanner

TAMPA - A Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy accused of using a Taser on his wife and then holding a service pistol to her head will be freed from jail without having to post bail – pending the outcome of his case.

Carlos Thomas Tanner's wife of 12 years, Kristine Tanner, asked a judge today whether her husband could home.

"Why would I even think about letting him out of jail and have contact with you?" Judge Walter Heinrich asked.

Kristine Tanner, who had told the judge that their 10- and 8-year-old children were present when she was zapped with the Taser, said she was surprised by her husband's behavior and that it was totally out of character.

"He's never acted this way before," she said. "Never have I felt threatened."

Heinrich wasn't swayed.

"Let me get this straight: He's not coming home," he said.

"Can you not change that?" she asked.

"No," Heinrich said. "At this point in time, he's not going to live in this house."

Heinrich said Carlos Tanner would be released from jail but would have to enter alcohol treatment and any other programs required by the sheriff's office, such as anger management. Tanner won't be allowed to have weapons or drink alcohol.

Heinrich said Tanner and his family can talk on the phone and write letters and they can meet in public places or can attend counseling together. The judge told the deputy that he wants to see progress toward rehabilitation before he considers allowing him to resume living at home with his wife and children.

Tanner, a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was arrested Monday morning. He is charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor battery-domestic violence.

The 38-year-old deputy was taken in under the state's Baker Act because he threatened to harm himself if arrested, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. The Baker Act allows for involuntary commitment up to 72 hours for mental evaluation.

Tanner works as a community resource deputy in the Plant City area, serving as a public representative of the sheriff's office rather than a patrol deputy.

The sheriff's office said Tanner had been drinking Sunday and fought with his wife. He pushed her onto a bed about 6:15 p.m., then took a Taser from his duty belt and used the weapon three to four times on her abdomen, the sheriff's office said.

She had burns from the Taser, which shoots electrified darts on wires from a handheld device.

Tanner then set aside the Taser and got his silver, semiautomatic service pistol from under the mattress. He placed the gun against his wife's temple for about 10 seconds, the sheriff's office said.

Tanner was placed on administrative leave without pay. An administrative review is pending.

Reporter Josh Poltilove contributed to this report. Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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