A Houlton man has alleged that police used excessive force when they pepper sprayed and shocked him with a Taser to try to remove him from a Presque Isle church.
Ryan Cottle claims police officers, the police chief and the city are responsible for injuries he received in June 2024. The 17-page lawsuit was originally filed in Aroostook County Superior Court in Caribou on June 5, then moved to Maine U.S. District Court on July 1.
The suit charges Officers Trevor MacDougal and Samuel Fuller, Police Chief Christopher Hayes and the city of Presque Isle with excessive force and negligence, and charges MacDougal and Fuller with assault.
Cottle seeks a jury trial and financial compensation for injuries, emotional trauma and ongoing medical care, the lawsuit states.
The document alleges that police officers encountered Cottle on June 8, 2024, while he was in a mental health crisis. The next day, someone at St. Mary’s Catholic Church called police to ask that Cottle be removed from the church so they could close it.
Officers MacDougal, Fuller and Marie St. Peter went to the church and told the unarmed Cottle to leave, according to court records. St. Peter tried to calm him, but he appeared confused and then refused to leave.
The suit alleges that Cottle was not threatening the officers, and they acted less than a minute after arriving at the church. MacDougal sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, then Fuller shocked him with a Taser, whereupon Cottle screamed in pain, the lawsuit states.
Neither officer used deescalation techniques or warned Cottle before using the weapons, then MacDougal handcuffed Cottle and injured him further while removing the Taser prongs without the right tools, the suit claims.
The suit’s six counts include: that MacDougal and Fuller neglected to protect Cottle’s safety and violated the police department’s use-of-force policies; that they assaulted and injured Cottle and did so “with actual or implied malice”; that Hayes neglected to properly train and discipline staff; and that the city was negligent by not providing proper officer training.
Hayes and the city knew of prior excessive force “by MacDougal and/or Fuller” and failed to discipline them, court records stated.
The suit does not list an amount for damages sought.
Presque Isle attorney Adam Swanson represents Cottle. He did not provide a statement on Cottle’s behalf, saying the complaint speaks for itself.
Portland attorney Kasia Park represents Fuller, MacDougal, Hayes and the city. The officers used force only in response to threatening behavior by Cottle, she said Tuesday.
“The evidence will show that Mr. Cottle verbally and physically threatened the officers and refused to comply with their lawful commands to leave the church. The officers’ use of force was reasonable under the circumstances they faced,” Park said. “My clients intend to vigorously defend against this lawsuit, and I am confident that the case will be resolved in their favor.”
The defendants requested on July 1 that the case be transferred to Maine U.S. District Court, according to a motion Park filed. She also petitioned the court to extend the deadline from July 8 to July 27 for her clients to respond to the complaint.
