Crime & Safety

Elizabeth Veteran Taser Incident: DA's Report Released

A report from an investigative team says Elbert Co. Deputy Chris Dickey was justified in fatally tasering Christopher "Matt" Poer in April.

ELIZABETH, CO – A report of an investigation into the taser-related death of a man in Elizabeth in April was released Wednesday by the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

"Based on my review of all the evidence in this case, I find that Deputy [Christopher] Dickey acted appropriately when he used the Taser device on Mr. Poer and that he complied with all Colorado statutes with respect to the use of force by a peace officer," was the conclusion of Elizabeth A. Oldham, chief deputy district attorney and lead investigator on the Colorado Incident Response Team.

Poer, 46, was unresponsive after a Dickey deployed a Taser while trying to take him into custody around 8 p.m. April 12 in a rural area in the 4500 block of Private Road 188. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

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Dickey has been sued for excessive force with a Taser at a previous police job in Commerce City. A jury awarded $825,000 to Carl Leadholm who was tasered, beaten and pepper sprayed by Commerce City officers in Nov., 2014, after being stopped for erratically driving during a diabetic attack.

Poer, originally from New Castle, Indiana was a resident of Boston, according to an obituary. He served in the U.S. Army, retiring with an honorable discharge in 2015.

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Image via Poer family


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