Two Collegedale, Tennessee police officers are under scrutiny for use of excessive force on a Guatemalan woman employed by a private cleaning company at Ooltewah Middle School. Sgt. Jamie Heath and Officer Brian Desmond had entered the school looking for a possible burglar on January 11th when they noticed an open door to the building. The cleaning woman they encountered, 36-year-old Juana Raymundo, who did not speak English, was frightened by the officers and tried to run from them as they entered the school while she was cleaning with their guns drawn.
In the affidavit by the officers, they asked the woman to identify herself, but she answered all of their questions with “No,” because she did not understand and continued to flee. They describe how they chased her through the school’s cafeteria and down a flight of stairs before Heath used his taser to bring her to the ground.
Raymundo was charged with evading arrest and was released on $750 bond. She is expected in court on March 2.
