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Man put on trial after police broke into his home without a warrant, tased family January 29, 2014
COTATI, CA — A couple was violently tased and arrested when police officers broke down their front door in response to a noise complaint. Despite the shocking video that captured the incident, the police were cleared for assaulting the couple and breaking into the home, and instead the residents were put on trial.
The incident took place on May 10th, 2013, when a neighbor called the police because they allegedly heard “yelling and sobbing” coming from the residence next-door. Police were sent to investigate at 3:48 p.m.
The residents, James Wood, 33, and his wife Jennifer, 29, admittedly had a loud argument in the backyard, but did not become violent and did not know that a nosy neighbor had phoned the police. They reportedly argued about whether to spend their tax refund money on fixing their car or buying a new one.
The couple’s roommate, James Helton, 32, was inside putting the Woods’ 2-year-old daughter down for a nap when the Cotati Police arrived, with guns already drawn. Helton summoned his roommates and the three began talking to the police through a window.
“We had our hands up against the glass. We were more than happy to talk through the glass, or he can have dispatch call our cellphones,” Helton later explained. “(An officer) became agitated and said, ‘No you’re going to do what I tell you to do.’ “
