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Posted: 2:11 PM- Prosecutors are determining whether the trooper who used a Taser on a motorist should be charged with crimes.
The case of Utah Highway Patrol Trooper John Gardner is being reviewed by prosecutors in Tooele County, who will determine if he broke the law. Lawyers in Tooele County are pondering charges at the request of the Utah Attorney General's office and to avoid conflicts for prosecutors in eastern Utah, where the traffic stop occurred.
Attorney general spokesman Scott Troxel said his office has completed a fact-finding review of Gardner's use of the Taser but has not made any recommendations to Tooele County prosecutors.
On Sept. 14, in an event recorded by a police dashboard camera, Gardner stopped driver Jared Massey for speeding on U.S. Highway 40 in Uintah County. Massey refused to sign the citation, setting off a dispute that ended when Gardner struck him twice with his Taser.
Massey posted the video on YouTube, turning the event into an Internet sensation. UHP has said Gardner did not violate any of its policies.