DA: Pa. officer
who used stun gun on handcuffed teen in cell, texted LOL to buddy is charged
MEDIA, Pa. — A Philadelphia-area police corporal used a stun
gun on a handcuffed teenager inside a jail cell, then sent a text message to a
fellow officer in which he used the acronym LOL — for "laughing out
loud," prosecutors said Thursday.
Colwyn police Cpl. Trevor Parham now faces misdemeanor
charges of simple assault and official oppression in connection with the
encounter involving the teen last month inside a borough police department jail
cell. He was suspended while the encounter was being investigated.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Parham used a
stun gun on the handcuffed teen, then texted a fellow officer about the arrest,
at one point writing that the teen was a "smart ass" who "got
Tased in the cell lol."
Delaware County District Attorney John Whelan called
Parham's conduct "offensive."
Investigators say in that exchange
Parham wrote the teen "got Tased in the cell lol."
"It's certainly not funny, for anyone, be it a juvenile
or a non-juvenile, who is handcuffed ... to be hit with a Taser weapon,"
Whelan said.
The teen told a county detective that he was handcuffed
behind his back and shackled to the leg of a jail cell bench when he was hit
with the stun gun, according to the affidavit.
Parham was arraigned and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
His attorney, Thomas Fitzpatrick, said he expects Parham to be exonerated.
"These accusations have disheartened him, certainly,
but he is someone who has a rather spotless record as it pertains to any
accusation of excessive force in his law enforcement career," Fitzpatrick
said.
The investigation prompted Colwyn's mayor to suspend Parham
and the department's acting chief — and to twice declare states of emergency —
because he was unhappy the encounter wasn't reported to him.
Whelan said the actions of borough officials and other
officers in connection with the encounter remain under investigation, but he
declined to discuss specifics.