Federal Lawsuit Filed Against McAlester Police Officer Over Tasing Incident

A woman is seeking more than $1 million in a federal lawsuit against the city of McAlester, its police chief and officer Sterling Taylor.

In her suit filed in Muskogee federal court on November 13, Nakina Williams seeks punitive damages for an incident at the Pittsburg County jail where she says Officer Taylor tased her in the chest while she was handcuffed.

Officer Sterling Taylor was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon following an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation into the June 2012 incident.

The lawsuit claims violations of Nakina Williams' civil and constitutional rights and that the force used by Taylor was "excessive, unreasonable and wrongful."

The suit also claims McAlester should have investigated Taylor because he has been "involved with and instigated a disproportionate number of violent conflicts with suspects compared to other law enforcement officers in Pittsburg County."

According to Pittsburg County jail records Nakina Williams, 27, of McAlester was arrested on June 24 and charged with assault on a police officer and spitting on a police officer.

Williams pleaded guilty in July and was given a three-year suspended sentence by a Pittsburg County judge.

10/22/2012 Related Story: McAlester Police Officer Charged With Tasing Handcuffed Woman