This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Salt Lake City man is suing a state trooper in federal court, claiming she shocked him with her Taser during a traffic stop, while he was sitting in his car and asking to speak to his lawyer.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Ryan Jones claims that Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Lisa Steed pulled him over while he was driving March 28, 2009, on State Street near 2700 South.
She checked his license and other paperwork and then asked him to take a breath test for alcohol because she smelled alcohol in the car, the suit states.
Jones said he wanted to speak to his lawyer before taking any tests, according to the lawsuit. He claims that Steed pulled out her Taser and threatened to deploy it if Jones did not get out of the car.
When Jones asked her not to fire the Taser, Steed pressed it against his arm and fired, the lawsuit states.
After Jones recovered, he again said he wanted to speak to his lawyer, the suit claims. Without further commands or warning, Steed deployed the Taser on his arm again, Jones claims.
The lawsuit states that Steed threatened to fire the Taser again and arrested Jones when he refused to take a field sobriety test.
The lawsuit claims Steed used excessive force and violated Jones' constitutional rights.
Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Joe Dougherty said the department would not comment on a pending case.
"We know that troopers do get sued from time to time," Dougherty said.
Steed remains employed as a state trooper in Davis County, Dougherty said.