An Ohio woman was tased and taken away in handcuffs during a middle school football game Wednesday after she refused to wear a mask while in the stands. The incident took place at a high school football field in Logan, Ohio.
The woman was reportedly approached by a school resource officer who asked her to put on a face mask after seeing her sitting in the bleachers without one. The incident was caught on video.
The Logan Police Department said School Resource Officer Chris Smith was at 7th and 8th-grade football games at Logan High School stadium, where one of his duties was to ensure fans were safe and complying with health guidelines. A department statement reads:
“One of these policy guidelines mandated by the Logan Hocking School District is that all spectators must wear a mask while on school property.”
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Alicia Kitts, the woman in question, told the officer that she would not be putting a mask on because of her asthma. According to the police statement, the officer told Kitts “several times” that she needed to wear a mask, saying if she didn’t, she would be asked to leave and wait outside the stadium. The statement added:
“After several attempts to get her to leave, Officer Smith advised her she was under arrest for criminal trespassing and asked her to place her hands behind her back multiple times and she refused. Officer Smith attempted to place her hand behind her back, the female began resisting by pulling away from the Officer and another female began interfering with the arrest.”
“Officer Smith advised her to comply or he would deploy his Taser if she did not quit resisting.”
“This is an unfortunate incident for everyone involved. The incident remains under investigation.”
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The video shows two other people near the woman as she is tased while in the bleachers.
Logan police said that Kitts was charged with criminal trespassing, and made sure to note that there were no charges specifically about her not wearing a mask. The statement said:
“It is important to note, the female was not arrested for failing to wear a mask, she was asked to leave the premises for continually violating school policy. Once she refused to leave the premises, she was advised she was under arrest for criminal trespassing, she resisted the arrest, which led to the use of force.”
