Videos: Hudson Valley Nursing Aide Says Cops Used Excessive Force
A Hudson Valley nursing aide believes police used "excessive force" when she was "unlawfully arrested" outside a popular restaurant.
Footage has been released about an arrest in which a woman complained of excessive force. Shana Shaw, a 26-year-old nursing aide, says police used excessive force when they arrested her on Dec. 28. in the Buffalo Wild Wings' parking lot on Ulster Avenue in the Town of Ulster.
"I will never understand the excessive (force) that these officers used on a woman who wasn’t a threat in a parked car with my medical scrubs on from work. He never read me my Miranda rights," Shaw said while sharing a video of her encounter with police.
Shaw says she was told she was pulled over by Officer Woltman of the Ulster County Sheriff's Office for allegedly not using a turn single. She says the officer later slammed her to the ground, giving her a concussion.
"I ended up with a resisting arrest ticket after the incident. I was slammed on my head by Officer Woltman resulted in a concussion. I was threatened to be tazed I will not stand for this," Shaw added. " Officer Woltman cuffed me cutting circulation on my hand off I have nerve damage in my thumb on the stretcher he was mocking me."
Below is the video Shaw shared on Facebook:
Shaw was out of work for days dealing with her injuries that included a concussion, nerve damage and bruises all over her body, William Wagstaff, Shaw's former attorney told Hudson Valley Post. Wagstaff adds Shaw was "unlawfully arrested" adding Deputy Sheriff Brian Woltman Jr. used "excessive force."
"The arrest was caught on video and shows Ulster County Deputy Sheriff Brian Woltman Jr., son of Ulster County Legislator Brian Woltman, aggressively dragging Ms. Shaw out of her vehicle and onto the ground where she was accosted by Woltman and another male officer in between cars, partially out of view of the camera person. Deputy Sheriff Woltman never asked Ms. Shaw for her driver's license and vehicle registration. In the video, Woltman Jr and another deputy are seen kneeled over, restraining Ms. Shaw and threatening to tase her; they tell her to stop resisting, and she screams 'I'm not resisting' twice before the video ends," Wagstaff told Hudson Valley Post in an email. "This past May, a formal complaint was filed against Deputy Sherrif Woltman Jr., accusing him of false detention and using excessive force against another woman, Katherine Bradley. Ms. Shaw intends to join Ms. Bradley in a suit against Ulster County and Deputy Sheriff Woltman Jr. for violating their Civil Rights."
Wagstaff provided Hudson Valley Post with more videos of the arrest:
[video width="512" height="960" mp4="https://townsquare.media/site/854/files/2021/01/Shana-Shaw-arrest-1.MOV_.mp4"][/video]
[video width="512" height="960" mp4="https://townsquare.media/site/854/files/2021/01/Shana-Shaw-arrest-2.MOV_.mp4"][/video]
[video width="512" height="960" mp4="https://townsquare.media/site/854/files/2021/01/Shana-Shaw-arrest-3.MOV_.mp4"][/video]
Authorities say the 26-year-old was pulled after she failed to use a turn signal and was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa released the following statement on the incident while also sharing body camera footage:
I found it prudent to release the body camera footage of the event that occurred on December 28, 2020 in a parking lot in the Town of Ulster, as this event has already garnered community attention.
Encounters with law enforcement can be unpredictable, and although this is not to say one way or the other that anyone is at fault, this will at least shed light on the event as it occurred in real time.
Like all technology, devices such as body cameras, cell phones and similar devices are machines with limitations. This complaint remains under investigation.