Baytown police under fire

07/30/2003
Associated Press

BAYTOWN, Texas - A police officer who was cleared of wrongdoing in the death of a man more than a year ago is now accused of using excessive force against a disabled woman. The American Civil Liberties Union and League of United Latin American Citizens have urged Baytown Police Chief Byron Jones to discipline officer Micah Aldred, who has described firing a Taser at the Hispanic woman. The Baytown Police Department is completing its investigation of possible civil rights violations. "They're winding down with the people they're interviewing," police Lt. David Alford said, adding no developments have occurred. The pistol-like device that deploys an electrical charge was used three times on Baytown resident Naomi Autin before she was handcuffed on July 11. Autin and her attorney, D. Matthew Freeman, filed a complaint five days later against Aldred, contending that the officer used excessive force. Autin had called Baytown police for help in entering the home of her brother, Nathan Franco, who is serving a sentence for drug possession at the Harris County Jail. She had wanted to check mail at the house and told Aldred to let her into the house. After he refused, she told him to leave and began banging on the front door with a brick. She said Aldred used his Taser against her after ordering her to stop. She had turned toward him in a manner that suggested she was about to attack him with the brick, police said. Autin, 59, fell and struck her head on a metal pole on the porch, leaving her with a wound that required 17 stitches. "I just say action needs to be taken before there is another death," said Johnny Mata of LULAC on Tuesday. Mata was referring to the death of Luis Torres after being subdued and handcuffed by four Baytown officers on Jan. 20, 2002. Aldred, 25, was cleared of wrongdoing in Torres' death. Aldred has said he had to zap Autin with the Taser because she refused to quit banging the brick against a door and then threatened him with it. Auten said the officer overreacted, zapping her and throwing her to the ground, causing the head wound. "The police tried to file charges against Auten, but the allegations were so feeble the district attorney refused them," said Kallinen. Jones could not be reached. Police spokesman David Alford acknowledged the district attorney's office rejected charges of assaulting a police officer, but said it agreed to accept a Class C misdemeanor of making a threat. Baytown police said the case remains under investigation by its internal affairs and detectives and the Harris County Sheriff's Department.