A federal judge sentenced Mario Stewart, a retired police sergeant in Mount Vernon, New York, to six months in prison and six months of home confinement for repeatedly tasing a restrained 20-year-old man who was experiencing a health crisis. Prosecutors say that while the man's hands were cuffed behind his back and his legs were in a restraint bag, Stewart tased him at least seven times in two minutes. The incident took place in 2019, but Stewart remained on the job until he retired in 2023. U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas emphasized the need to "send a clear message" to law enforcement about adhering to rules, saying Mount Vernon residents should not fear victimization by officers. Stewart pleaded guilty in January to depriving an individual of his civil rights, violating the department's Taser policy that prohibits punitive or coercive use on secured prisoners other than as a last resort.
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