Members of the Gore City Council held a special meeting Tuesday, Oct. 23 and voted for the termination of Assistant Police Chief Jose Guzman.
Gore’s assistant police chief, Jose Guzman, was fired Tuesday night after a unanimous vote by the city council.
Guzman, 39, was charged Oct. 16 with misdemeanor assault and battery for a June incident in which he allegedly used a stun gun on a woman who was already handcuffed.
He surrendered to authorities last week after an arrest warrant was issued against him in the case. He was released on a $1,000 bond.
The council did not allow questions from the audience during the meeting and requests for comment afterward were denied. A Gore police officer who did not give his name also had no comment on the panel’s decision when contacted after the meeting.
Guzman did not attend the meeting.
In the assault case, an affidavit reveals that Guzman and two other officers encountered the woman, who was reportedly drunk and suicidal, on June 7 while doing a welfare check at her residence.
The affidavit also states that the woman was verbally abusive to the officers and had repeatedly walked toward them.
According to the court document, Guzman eventually placed a Taser he had borrowed from another officer against the handcuffed woman’s chest and administered what is known as a “drive stun” technique.
The incident was captured on body camera footage by a Webbers Falls police officer who also assisted on the call.
The woman was not charged with any crimes in the incident.
Guzman was initially placed on two weeks of paid administrative leave. Gore city officials later voted 3-2 against his termination and he was allowed to return to duty.
According to other officers at the scene and based on the body camera footage, the woman was being verbally abusive to Guzman over a previous incident. The officers stated that she did not use any type of physical violence toward Guzman or any other officers on the scene.
The officers both stated that since the woman was handcuffed behind her back they felt they could have physically subdued her without using the stun gun.
District Attorney Jack Thorp requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation look into the case on July 19, 2019.
The assault and battery charge is punishable by imprisonment for up to 90 days, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.
Guzman, 39, was charged Oct. 16 with misdemeanor assault and battery for a June incident in which he allegedly used a stun gun on a woman who was already handcuffed.
He surrendered to authorities last week after an arrest warrant was issued against him in the case. He was released on a $1,000 bond.
The council did not allow questions from the audience during the meeting and requests for comment afterward were denied. A Gore police officer who did not give his name also had no comment on the panel’s decision when contacted after the meeting.
Guzman did not attend the meeting.
In the assault case, an affidavit reveals that Guzman and two other officers encountered the woman, who was reportedly drunk and suicidal, on June 7 while doing a welfare check at her residence.
The affidavit also states that the woman was verbally abusive to the officers and had repeatedly walked toward them.
According to the court document, Guzman eventually placed a Taser he had borrowed from another officer against the handcuffed woman’s chest and administered what is known as a “drive stun” technique.
The incident was captured on body camera footage by a Webbers Falls police officer who also assisted on the call.
The woman was not charged with any crimes in the incident.
Guzman was initially placed on two weeks of paid administrative leave. Gore city officials later voted 3-2 against his termination and he was allowed to return to duty.
According to other officers at the scene and based on the body camera footage, the woman was being verbally abusive to Guzman over a previous incident. The officers stated that she did not use any type of physical violence toward Guzman or any other officers on the scene.
The officers both stated that since the woman was handcuffed behind her back they felt they could have physically subdued her without using the stun gun.
District Attorney Jack Thorp requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation look into the case on July 19, 2019.
The assault and battery charge is punishable by imprisonment for up to 90 days, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.
Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer
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