Florida Grandmother Tased Three Times And Arrested On Her 70th Birthday After Refusing To Allow Sheriff's Deputies Into Her Home

A Florida grandmother said she was Tased and arrested on her 70th birthday by sheriff's deputies for refusing to allow them into her home.

Barbara Pinkney told WFLA that deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office turned up at her home in Bradenton unexpectedly on Thursday.

She said they told her they were there to serve a warrant to her grandson Tevin Turner for violating his probation by carrying a concealed weapon.

Pinkney said her grandson wasn't living there, but deputies believed he was because he he had listed the address as his while on probation.

According to WFLA, video filmed by the grandson's wife shows Pinkney trying to close the door to the sheriff's deputies. A deputy is seen grabbing her wrist and using a Taser on her, making her fall to the ground.

The station reported that she was hit with the stun gun three times—in the left arm, the back and the upper back—before a deputy held her down with a knee, according to the probable cause affidavit.

"I was just hollering. I was scared. I didn't know what else to do. I was just hollering," Pinkney told the station.

Pinkney said she has been left traumatized and unable to sleep after the incident. "I don't know. Whenever I see police I just try to not look at them," she added to WFLA.

She was arrested and charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer and obstructing justice on Thursday, the Bradenton Herald reported. She was released the following day after posting $1,000 in bonds.

The arrest report stated that Pinkney came to the door after another person became uncooperative and told deputies they couldn't enter the home without a search warrant, the Herald reported. But deputies explained that they didn't need one as they were executing an arrest warrant and told her she could be arrested if she didn't cooperate.

A deputy decided to arrest Pinkney when she still refused and attempted to shut the door and she began to resist and was pushing the deputy in the chest, the report said. The first attempt to use the Taser on the woman had no effect, according to the report, so the deputy then "drive stunned" her in the back by using the taser directly on her body, which forced her to the ground.

Pinkney continued to resist while on the ground, according to the report, so the deputy drive stunned her again with no effect. A second deputy managed to help restrain Pinkney and put her in handcuffs, the report added.

Deputies also said a neighbor's dog tried to attack a K9 unit that was at the scene and was Tased, according to the Herald.

The arrest report added that Turner was not located, but noted "there was enough time during the chaos at the front of the residence for (the suspect) to get out of the rear of the residence."

Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells confirmed an investigation has been launched to determine if excessive force was used against Pinkney.

In a statement to Newsweek, Wells said: "Deputies had lawful reason to enter the residence and search for Tevin Turner. Had Barbara Pinkney complied with the deputies orders, none of this would have happened. From everything we can see at this point, it appears the deputy did what he had to do."

He added: "We take allegations of excessive force seriously, which is why we have opened an internal investigation to gather all the facts."

This article has been updated with a statement from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.