The use of a taser by a newly appointed mid Michigan police chief is under scrutiny.
CASEVILLE, Mich. (WJRT) - The use of a taser by a newly appointed mid Michigan police chief is under scrutiny.
Debra Hopkins is a 26 year veteran of the Caseville police department and was named chief in May.
But her actions during the arrest of a former NFL player two months prior to her appointment is being looked at by the Michigan State Police.
It is summertime in Caseville as it’s annual Ribstock festival kicked off.
It will be a busy weekend for new police chief Debra Hopkins, who declined to speak us about an incident that occurred in Caseville in March.
It was back on March 5 when a Huron County Sheriffs deputy came to a home on Park Avenue just north of Caseville for a complaint call.
It has been confirmed that person was Shannon Myers, a former NFL player who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1995.
Hopkins arrived at the home to be back up for the deputy.
Sources say during the arrest, Hopkins used her taser on Myers while Myers was in handcuffs.
Myers eventually plead no contest to attempted resisting and obstructing police in April and was given a delayed sentence.
But the Michigan State Police conducted an investigation into Hopkins use of the taser while Myers was handcuffed.
A spokesperson for the state police says the investigation is complete and has been forwarded to Huron County prosecutor Tim Rutkowski to determine if a criminal charge could be issued.
Rutkowski declined to comment on the investigation. We’ve learned it’s possible the case may be sent to the state’s Attorney General's office for review.
Todd Flood is the attorney for Shannon Myers who says "his client respects law enforcement and the rule of law and he apologized to the police officers for the position he put them in and he apologized to the court"
Hopkins says she wanted to speak with city council members before commenting on the investigation and when we asked to get some video of her while she was on the job, she apparently had someone drive in our camera as a way to block our view.
She eventually got in her police car and drove off.
We called Caseville Mayor Chris Stahl and left a message, but I did not hear back.
