By Nathan Hardin
nhardin@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — A courtroom officer used his Taser on a man Tuesday morning after the sentenced 19-year-old attempted to call a “time out.”
According to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, Freeman Franklin Payton III, 415 Milford Hills Road, verbally disagreed with Judge Marshall Bickett’s decision to sentence him to 45 days in jail.
Deputies said about 9:45 a.m. the man began yelling at the judge, telling him, “Hold up. Time out. That’s beat up.”
When court officers began directing Payton to the holding cell area, he jerked away from officers and was shocked by a courtroom officer.
After being moved into the holding cell, Payton tried to fight officers and was drive- stunned a second time, the report said.
A drive-stun is issued by pressing a Taser to a person’s skin.
After the second shock, Payton reportedly told officers, “OK, no more.”
But he was stunned a third time moments later when he jumped up from his seat in the holding area, “causing a disturbance.”
The third time the Taser was deployed, the report said, the officer discontinued use “without letting it run the full five seconds.”
Payton will be in court later this month on charges of driving without a license, no inspection and no registration.