Woman Tased by Stow Police Awarded $100,000 Settlement

On Wednesday, Stow Mayor Sara Drew issued a statement disputing the accuracy of a recent news segment about a 23-year-old Akron woman who sued the city after being tased by Stow police.

In the news report, released earlier this week by a local media outlet, Chelsea Garrett said she was the victim of police brutality when officers tased, handcuffed and arrested her after she almost clipped a police cruiser while driving.

With her lawyer present during the TV interview, Garrett argued she was suffering from diabetic blackouts at the time of the Nov. 2011 incident, which caused erratic driving and inhibited her from following police commands. 

The city presented a different version of the events in its press release:

"The day Ms. Garrett was taken into custody by the Stow Police Department, she was involved in a hit-skip accident on State Route 8 in Akron. After leaving the scene of that accident without stopping, she drove to Stow and as shown on the police dashboard camera, came within a few feet of striking a Stow police cruiser head on."

Click here for the Stow police dashboard video

Following the incident, Garrett pled guilty to wreckless driving, then filed a $250,000 lawsuit against the city in U.S. District Court. Last May, the city offered her $10,000 to settle and she refused. 

On Jan. 11, Stow's insurance carrier agreed to settle the lawsuit for $100,000.

"This matter was internally reviewed by the Stow Use of Force Committee who found the officer’s actions within policy," according to the city's press release. "The City of Stow stands by the actions of the police department and officer. The settlement was negotiated by the City’s insurance carrier, not the City of Stow. It is not an admission of liability."