Colorado man suing sheriff’s office for being tased in the face

Kenneth Espinoza claims he was tased at least 35 times after a traffic stop
The sheriff's office denies the claim, saying officers only tased him once
Espinoza's attorney plans on filing a civil lawsuit against the department

Updated: Apr 26, 2023 / 01:42 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — A Colorado man is preparing to sue the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office after he was allegedly tased multiple times during a traffic stop.

Kenneth Espinoza is claiming Lt. Henry Trujillo and Deputy Mikhail Noel tased him at least 35 times, including in the face, after a traffic stop for his son Nathan Espinoza.

Bodycam footage shows the entire interaction between officers and Kenneth Espinoza, but the sheriff’s department says he was only tased once.

“Mr. (Kenneth) Espinoza was tased one time. This was confirmed by the data obtained from the tasers of Lt. Trujillo and Deputy Noel,” a statement from Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office read.

The incident took place after Nathan Espinoza was pulled over for a traffic citation. Kenneth Espinoza, who was driving behind him, also pulled over to wait for his son. The situation quickly escalated, leading to the elder Espinoza’s violent arrest.

“He jabs him with the end of the taser. I count in the car about 15 times. … Then again, about seven times during this interaction,” Kevin Mehr, Espinoza’s attorney, who is counting each of these jabs as a taser deployment, told local news outlet Fox 21.