Published: May 13, 2008 11:03 am         

Man tasered during theft arrest

A Logansport police officer used a taser three times Monday evening while arresting a man suspected of stealing a bottle of wine.

Police responded at 5:40 p.m. to the report of a theft at D&J Liquors, 509 North St. An officer searching the area found a man matching the description of the culprit in the stairwell to a basement tavern at 430 North St., according to a police report.

The officer reportedly asked the man to remove his hands from his coat pockets. When the man refused, the officer shot him with a taser, which sends an electric shock into the person. The man went to the ground, where police say he continued to resist. The officer applied the electric jolt two more times before getting the handcuffs on.

Police booked 43-year-old Shawn C. Byrd of Logansport into the Cass County Jail on a class D felony charge of theft and a class A misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement.

The man was accused of putting a $3.20 bottle of MD 20/20 into his pants and leaving the store without paying.

If convicted, Byrd faces a sentencing range of six months to three years for the felony and up to a year for the misdemeanor.