REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Who is Carolyn O’Neal? Naked woman arrested, tasered in restraint chair by 3 male cops gets $2.4M compensation

When the officers arrived on the scene, O'Neal had told them that she was naked and was going in for a bath and that she had no intention of hurting herself
UPDATED DEC 23, 2020
(Fremont Police Department)
(Fremont Police Department)

FREMONT COUNTY, COLORADO: A woman who was arrested while she was nude by three male officers was reportedly tasered while in a restraint chair. She has now been paid around $2.4 million by Colorado County. The woman, Carolyn O'Neal, was arrested while she was in her apartment at a sober living facility located in Canon City. The incident had taken place in May 2014, after the police received reports over concerns that she was going to harm herself, The Sun reports. 

When the officers arrived on the scene, O'Neal had told them that she was naked and was going in for a bath and that she had no intention of hurting herself. She also asked the male deputies to leave. However, the officers used key to gain access to the apartment and pushed her onto a bed before they arrested her. 

O'Neal's attorney, David Lane, said that the police had been called by the facility's management. Lane shared, "Her mother was dying. She was depressed and she made some offhand statement about, ‘things are going so great, I feel like I should drive my car off a cliff'."

O'Neal was taken into custody while still naked and placed into a restraint chair for several hours. According to CCTV footage from the jail, O'Neal was seen strapped into a chair with a blanket over her shoulder while shouting at officers as she was wheeled into a cell. 

Officers can be seen re-entering the cell and placing a spit mask over her face. According to the Denver Post, at one point, they were also seen shocking O'Neal with a taser. She then sued the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office for wrongful arrest and was initially awarded $3.6 million as compensation in 2019. At the time, Lane shared, "This jury sent them the loudest, clearest message. We the people are not going to put up with constitutional violations from law enforcement officers."  

However, a federal judge lowered the amount to around $2.1 million which both sides of O'Neal's lawsuit appealed leading to this week's latest ruling. According to officials from Fremont County, they reached a settlement with O'Neal for around $2.4million. Post the arrest, charges that had been made against O'Neal of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest were dismissed by a judge. 

Officers have now acknowledged that it would have been more appropriate if they had taken her to a hospital instead of taking her to prison. While speaking to the Denver Post, Lane shared, "This was an outrageous case. Law enforcement officers who believed they were above the law got smacked down hard by a jury."

"And unfortunately, this costs the taxpayers of Fremont County a lot of money. But I hope it inspires the citizenry to demand accountability from law enforcement — otherwise, it’s coming out of their pockets," Lane added. The sheriff who served at the time of O'Neal's arrest, Jim Beicker, resigned in 2018 after a recall attempt was made. According to Lane, none of the officers involved faced any disciplinary actions as of April 2019. 

POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW