Woman Who Won't Wear Mask Gets Tased, Arrested

Alecia Kitts sparks local furor over mask incident
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2020 12:25 PM CDT

A woman was tased and arrested at her son's middle-school football game Wednesday after refusing to wear a face mask, CNN reports. Police say Alecia Kitts—who was sitting in the stands at Logan High School Stadium in Logan, Ohio—refused a school resource officer's request that she wear a mask, claiming asthma. But Officer Chris Smith persisted, she kept saying no, and he tried putting her hands behind her back. "Get off of me!" she cried in a video of the incident. "You're not arresting me for nothing. I ain't doing nothing wrong! What the [expletive] is wrong with you, people?" Eventually Smith stunned her once in the shoulder and took her away in handcuffs. She was charged with criminal trespassing and released.

But tensions only rose after the video appeared online. WBNS-10TV reports that the school district received threats, while the Columbus Dispatch notes that Smith is on restricted duties after getting threats himself. What's more, Kitts' attorney said she "apparently" has a broken arm. The Logan Police Department—which calls the arrest "an unfortunate incident for everyone involved"—said she wasn't arrested for refusing to wear a mask, but for not leaving after she violated school guidelines issued by the governor. Oddly, the Marietta Times reports that Kitts had a mask in her back pocket during the arrest. ABC 6 notes that Kitts has a police record that includes previous charges of marijuana, assault, and disorderly conduct. (More face masks stories.)

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