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Stories Vary On How Sarasota Deputy Used Taser On Fireman

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By ANTHONY CORMIER

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

SARASOTA COUNTY — A firefighter was treated at a hospital after a sheriff's deputy accidentally stunned him with a Taser at a fire station.

Doctors removed an electrical probe from firefighter W.C. Donaldson's stomach after he was zapped at the Bee Ridge Road station Saturday.

Two differing accounts of the incident have emerged.

In a report released Tuesday by the sheriff's office, Deputy Stacey Eve said she tried to test the Taser and forgot to remove a cartridge.

Assistant Fire Chief Paul Dezzi said that some of the firefighters were goofing around and knocked on a bathroom door while the deputy was inside.

When she came out, the Taser went off, striking Donaldson, said Dezzi, who said he did not know exactly how the accident occurred.

Tasers and similar stun guns shoot electrodes with small barbs on the end that pierce skin or clothing.

The weapon can deliver about 1,500 volts or more into a person's body, depending on the model.

The report is not clear as to whether the firefighter was shocked.

It states that Donaldson did not receive a "five-second cycle" -- a reference to the five-second shock delivered by a Taser pistol -- because only one of the barbs made "full contact."

One barb lodged in Donaldson's abdomen.

The sheriff's office report indicates Donaldson had a small cut.

The firefighter was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital because the probe was embedded deep in his skin, Dezzi said.

"It didn't cause him to miss any work or anything like that," Dezzi said. "He's fine."

Eve remained on regular duty, and sheriff's officials said they were doing an administrative inquiry.

Capt. Steve Burns said Tuesday that the agency could not release details about the case.

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