Colwyn Officer Found Not Guilty In Teen Tasering Incident

COLWYN, Pa. (CBS) – A suspended Colwyn police officer who was accused of using a stun gun on a teenage suspect was found not guilty on all charges today.

Trevor Parham, 40, was accused of using the weapon in April on a teenager, who was not only locked up but also shackled, when he became disruptive. The alleged tasering incident happened in a borough jail cell.

Parham, of Upper Darby, was accused of using a stun gun on the handcuffed teen inside a holding cell then used the acronym for "laughing out loud" in a text-message exchange with a fellow officer afterward.

The teen said he was arrested without justification but acknowledged kicking the cell and yelling before Parham used the stun gun on him.

Before the trial began, Thomas Fitzgerald, Parham's attorney, said in his opening statement that Parham's prosecution "is politically charged and politically motivated."

Assistant District Attorney Christopher DiRosato said Parham subjected Da'Qwan Jackson to an unlawful arrest and knew it was illegal.

Parham had been charged with assault and official oppression.

Meanwhile, Delaware County investigators continue to look into why the teen was in the cell in the first place. There is no paperwork indicating the youth was even locked up, or that he resisted arrest. Nor is there any official record of the Taser's use.