Stun guns leave man in critical condition

Monterey County Herald | February 21 2005

A 40-year-old Salinas man who was stunned Friday by police Taser stun guns remains in critical condition at Natividad Hospital.

Police said it appeared Robert Clark Heston had stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating after officers used at least two Tasers to subdue him, but officers were able to revive him by using CPR, they said. Heston was taken by ambulance to Natividad Hospital, where a spokesman said he remains in the intensive care unit.

Police reported that when they arrived at a residence in the 100 block of Rodeo Avenue on Friday afternoon, Heston had been throwing objects into the yard. He then began assaulting his 66-year-old father.

Lt. Dan Perez said that Heston then attacked the officers, who used a Taser on him, which Perez called "only minimally effective."

He continued to fight, police said, and officers applied their stun guns several times more while he was on the ground.

Perez said toxicology results are pending to determine if Heston had drugs or other substances in his system at the time, and that it will probably be weeks before a full police report is completed.

Heston's father was not hospitalized and declined to comment on the case Sunday afternoon.

His son remains under arrest in his hospital bed on suspicion of two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, one count of felony elder abuse and violation of parole.

Perez said the "deadly weapon" was some sort of household item or items Heston threw at officers. He would not elaborate on what charges led to Heston's past prison sentence and parole.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there have been several inquiries surrounding the deaths of those killed by Tasers. The American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International have come out against several Northern California police departments regarding Taser use. Both agencies have asked law enforcement agencies to rethink their Taser use because of safety concerns.

Last August, a Del Rey Oaks man died after being shot by Seaside police using a Taser. A coroner's investigation found the cause of death was the combination of the jolts fired from the stun gun combined with significant amounts of methamphetamine found in his system, authorities said.