A school resource officer in Ohio has been put on unpaid leave after she used her department-issued Taser to roust a student who had fallen asleep in class.
According to the Washington Post, a junior at Liberty Preparatory School in Smithville, Ohio was having trouble staying awake during class. After his teacher failed to wake the student, she tried summoning the interim principal for help, who was also unable to wake him.
That's when the educators decided to call in the school resource officer, a part-time member of the local police named Maryssa Boskoski.
When asked to wake the student, Boskoski reached into her holster and pulled out her department-issued Taser. Witnesses say she removed the firing cartridge from the weapon, and pulled the trigger, causing a sharp electric buzz that scared the student awake.
"She did take her Taser, remove the cartridge from it, and arced the Taser," said Smithville Police Chief Howard Funk.
No probes were deployed and the Taser did not touch the student, but parents say they're stunned the officer would use a weapon normally reserved for criminals to wake up a sleepy student.
The chief said Boskoski violated the department's policy on use of the Taser and what she did could place her job and even her freedom in jeopardy.
In a letter sent to parents and obtained by WTMJ, officials with Liberty Preparatory School notified parents about the "inappropriate use" of the stun gun on the unidentified student.
“While on our School campus, a Smithville officer attempted to wake a sleeping student by deploying a taser near the vicinity of the student,” school leaders said. “At no time was any student in any kind of danger.”
Boskoski, who works part time with the Smithfield Police Department and as an Air Force Reservist, was placed on unpaid leave following the incident.
Photo: Smithfield Police Department