City cop suspended over Taser incident

March 6, 2009
By MICHELLE THOMPSON, SUN MEDIA

Five years after zapping a teen burglary suspect with a Taser, Edmonton police Const. Todd Hudec is set to get on with his life, now that his disciplinary hearing has concluded.

Yesterday, the internal police hearing ended with Hudec being suspended without pay for 20 hours in connection to the Dec. 24, 2003, zapping of a 15-year-old boy.

Hudec, 34, admitted failing to document using the stun gun. He also confessed to failing to obtain medical attention for the teen. He also neglected to complete a controlled tactics report.

Two charges of insubordination were withdrawn.

"I want one thing to be noted with absolute clarity," said presiding officer Supt. Mark Logar. "None of the five counts says anything about the inappropriate application of a Taser."

Hudec has said he stunned a teen burglary-robbery suspect inside the North Division police station after the youngster became aggressive and began advancing on him.

Hudec was criminally charged with assault, but acquitted in 2007, after a trial judge said the cop's actions were reasonable because the boy had previously lied about carting hidden knives.

Since the Christmas Eve Taser incident five years ago, Hudec has been through a lot, his defence lawyer told the hearing.

"In fact at one point his marriage was in difficulty," Alex Pringle said, adding stress contributed to those private troubles.

"It has been a very arduous process. Very hard on his family. He's already received a significant deterrent."

Logar said he took that into consideration when he suspended Hudec for 20 hours without pay.

That will cost Hudec close to $1,000 over the course of two paycheques.