NC Man Files Lawsuit After He's Tased by Cops While Experiencing a Diabetic Medial Emergency | Crime Alert 12PM 06.12.25

A man from North Carolina, who was unable to communicate due to a medical crisis, allegedly faced violence instead of assistance from police officers who responded to the scene, as detailed in a recent lawsuit.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alard hourly update Breaking crime News Now, I'm Nicole Parton.
A man from North Carolina who was unable to communicate
due to a medical crisis allegedly faced violenced instead of
assistance from police officers who responded to the scene, as
detailed in a recent lawsuit, Dylan Ledford has filed a
suit against the town of Spruce Pine, its police chief,

(00:23):
Casey Cook, and three police officers, Michael Holyfield, Michael Sele,
and Dalton Mace, claiming they violated his constitutional rights and
breached both federal and state statutes during an incident that
occurred in February twenty twenty four. On February sixteen, Ludford,
then in his mid thirties, was driving home after visiting

(00:45):
his girlfriend. He stopped at Walmart in Spruce Pine to
grab a bite to eat, experiencing a drop in his
blood sugar due to his long standing illness of being
a diabetic. According to the lawsuit, After entering the store
and leaving shortly after, Ledford returned to his car after
he began to feel sick. Concerned Walmart employees noticed him

(01:06):
exhibiting unusual behavior such as twitching, having white eyes, and
attempting to communicate with him before ultimately calling nine to
one one for help. Officers Sail and Mace arrived shortly
after nine pm, with Holyfield coming shortly after. They attempted
to engage with mister Ludford, who was nonverbal. As outlined

(01:27):
in the fifty eight page lawsuit, The document asserts that
the officers had the capability to provide medical aid, but
chose not to, nor did they seek medical assistance on
Ledford's behalf. The situation escalated when the officers informed Ledford
of his impending arrest. The lawsuit describes a three on
one assault where the officers forcibly removed Ledford from his

(01:50):
car and threw him to the ground, despite the claim
that no officer was in danger. Ladford alleges that the
officers employed excessive force, violating the Fourth Amendment's protection against
unreasonable search and seizure. He claims that while he was
on the ground and unable to comply, officers self struck
him at least eleven times, causing significant pain in bruising. Additionally,

(02:15):
officer Holyfield reportedly used a taser on Ladford twice before
the officers flipped him onto his stomach. And handcuffed him.
The lawsuit emphasizes that it is a well established principle
that police do not physically assault individuals in medical distress.
The incident was reportedly recorded on Walmart's surveillance cameras, and
although the officers searched Ledford's vehicle and found nothing incriminating,

(02:39):
he was not taken to the hospital for medical care,
but instead to the police station. Ledford was charged with
second degree trespassing and three counts of resisting arrests, which
he claimed hampered his employment opportunities and triggered an internal
affairs investigation due to his prior role as a canine
officer with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correctctions. Although

(03:01):
the charges were dismissed about eight months later, Ludford is
now pursuing a jury trial and seeking damages for his physical, mental,
and emotional suffering, as well as harm to his reputation.
He is also holding the officer's supervisors accountable, arguing that
inadequate and outdated policies and training contributed to the incident.

(03:21):
The lawsuit states that neither the police chief nor the
town's administrators investigated the officer's conduct, indicating that they had
done so, they would have recognized the excessive and unjustified
use of force. Mitchell County District Attorney Seth Banks noted
concerns regarding the officer's failure to provide medical assistance, but

(03:41):
concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against them.
In response to inquiries about the lawsuit, the town attorney
indicated they would review the complaint upon receiving and respond accordingly.
Spruce Pine is located about ninety five miles northwest of Charlotte.
Justice News after this. Shaquille O'Neill, a longtime business savvy athlete,

(04:09):
has multiple business multiple companies but O'Neill has opened restaurants,
supported businesses, and more. But a rare misstep is going
to cost him about two million dollars. The four time
NBA champion has agreed out of court to pay one
point eight million dollars to settle acclaim in a suit
regarding the collapse of Crypto Exchange ft X. O'Neil was

(04:32):
initially served as part of the class action lawsuit back
in twenty twenty three after repeated attempts to do so
outside the TNT offices in Atlanta where he works. Other
notable athletes named in the lawsuit, where Tom Brady, Stephen Curry,
David Ortes, all of whom could still be responsible for
billions of dollars in damages. O'Neill and his legal team

(04:54):
agreed to the settlement in April, but the terms, including
the payment were finalized through court documents this week. The
payment will be split among more than a million people
in the class action lawsuit, and after lawyer's fees are
taken out, it could result in as little as two
dollars per person. Police in South Carolina are continuing their
search for a missing woman who wandered off into the

(05:15):
woods after a car crash. Multiple law enforcement agencies began
looking for Susan Rhodes on Wednesday afternoon. According to the
North Augusta Department of Public Safety, the search started around
four point thirty on Wednesday and ended around nine point fifteen.
Throughout the night, officers are monitoring her phone to see
if there were any pinks. On Thursday, the search continued

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around the seven am. As of eight am today, law
enforcement says they have had contact with her son and sister.
The family members have not heard from miss Rhodes. We're
not giving up, said Clay Swan with the North Augusta
Police Department. Rhodes was last seen wearing a red shirt
and black shoes, a hat, and has an arm in
a sling. She is described as five. The department says

(06:01):
it responded to a crash on Gregory Lake Road at
the entrance to Gregory Landing Subdivision. One of the cars
involved in the crash left the roadway and went into
a ditch, according to officers. The department says the car
was being driven by Rhodes, who got out of the
car and wandered into the woods. A witness told officers
that Roads appeared to be disoriented and possibly suffering from

(06:23):
some sort of medical issue. Officials say their main concern
is a nearby creek which has risen to about waste
deep water due to a recent rainfall. Anyone who may
see miss Roads is asked to contact eight zero three
four one four to two zero zero. She was last
seen in the twenty two hundred block of Gregory Lake Road.

(06:46):
For the latest crime injustice news, follow Crime Alert hourly
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I'm Nicole Carton.