Taser used in South Portland

SOUTH PORTLAND — For the second time in less than three weeks South Portland police officers have used a Taser gun to complete an arrest.

The most recent incident occurred at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, when police were dispatched to investigate the report of a Jeep stuck in a ditch behind the shopping plaza at 425 Western Ave.

The first officer on scene, Rocco Navarro, found in the passenger seat of the vehicle Vaughn Scott, 35, a transient whose address is listed only as “the Greater Portland area.” The Jeep had been reported stolen earlier in the day.

According to South Portland Police Department spokesman Lt. Frank Clark, Scott was “apparently intoxicated” and, upon recognizing Navarro as a police officer, jumped at a backpack on the ground near the vehicle.  Navarro kicked the bag from Scott’s reach, said Clark, and attempted to make an arrest.

Scott, however, “refused and aggressively pushed and grabbed the officer by the shirt and gun belt,” said Clark. “An altercation then ensued, leading up to the officer ultimately deploying a Taser.”

By the time additional police units arrived, Scott was reportedly in a more cooperative frame of mind.

Scott, whose criminal history includes convictions for motor vehicle burglary, aggravated assault, multiple minor assaults, a previous assault on an officer and eluding police, was taken to the Cumberland County Jail, where he is being held on charges of felony theft and felony assault against a police officer. The case, said Clark, has been referred to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.  

According to Clark, South Portland police officers have filed 77 reports detailing “use of force and control,” to date in 2012, including four Taser deployments. 

South Portland police last used a Taser May 31 during a domestic dispute when Nicholas Pallas, 32, retreated to a crawl space in his Ocean Street apartment, using pepper spray to try and prevent officers from taking him into custody.

“The department continues to find the Taser to be an effective response option for officers to use in order to prevent or quickly end violent confrontations and reduce the risk of injury to officers and subjects,” said Clark.