The Morning News: News : Officer Suspended For Shocking Cow

Apparently, this actually happened 2.5 years ago and is now going through the internal affairs but...this is too good not to share. I heard it on the radio the other morning and did not believe it until I googled it myself!

There are several elements to this story. First the mistakes of Lt. David Mitchell (who, incidentally, is running for sheriff).

First,

The city released the findings of the internal investigation Tuesday, and it showed an off-duty Mitchell fired a Taser-brand stun gun at two cows while a friend of Mitchell's videotaped the results.

Why videotape the whole ordeal? What good can happen as a result? I wonder if it is on You Tube? I would search and post an embedded video but my internet is S L O W ! !

Second,

He and the other man, who is not a Rogers police officer, went after church to property Mitchell owned to carry out the plan, the investigation found.

So much about this sounds wrong. Can't you see it. Song, song, prayer, song, Lords Supper, song, offering, song, sermon, song, prayer. What part of that sequence did he and his friend get the bright idea of tasing a heifer? Must have been a great sermon!

Third,The cartridges Mitchell used were defective and had been taken out of service. Mitchell's first attempt to hit a cow failed and he and the other man were shocked instead...The second attempt struck a different cow and it appeared to be mildly affected by the shock. The probes quickly fell out of the animal's skin, Mitchell told the investigator.
Okay, if the cartridges were marked as "defective," why mess with 'em. Use some good ones.

Fourth,

Several people, including Helms (Mitchell's boss), other high-ranking members of the Police Department, a deputy city attorney and a deputy Benton County prosecuting attorney, saw the video in the months following the incident. Mitchell sought out Helms to show him the video. Helms said Tuesday he found the video humorous but it didn't occur to him at the time that Mitchell had broken any law or violated any department policies.

Showed it to his BOSS? I can hear THAT conversation:

Retard Cop: Hey boss man, check out this You Tube video.
Boss Man: Man, that is (expletive) hilarious, where did you get the cartridges?
Retard Cop: From the dumpster.
Boss Man: Why did I promote you to Lt?
Retard Cop: Because we are cousins...and you owed me for that Meth...

Fifth and finally

The incident came to light when the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Helms, Womack and City Attorney Ben Lipscomb saying it had learned from a source affiliated with the police department that Mitchell had shocked a cow and videotaped it as a joke.

Helms said defective stun gun cartridges are sometimes used for training, and he will implement new policies to better track the use of cartridges deemed unfit for street-duty use.

Wait, WHAT? When did PETA come into play? Who called those freak shows? Oh, that's right, You Tube! So, according to them it is NOT okay to use defective taser cartridges on COWS but it IS okay to use it on HUMANS? What the crap? Is this not backwards?
And here is the quote that makes the story,

"The joke was on Lt. Mitchell and his friend getting shocked, not the cow being Tased," Helms said.

In other words, man, why didn't he call me so I could see the action?