DETROIT (WXYZ) — A jury acquitted a rookie Detroit police officer of two felonies after he was seen on video pointing his department-issued Taser towards his 10-year-old nephew.
Officer Caleb Williams was charged last year by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, accused of felonious assault and second-degree child abuse. He was found not guilty of both counts last Thursday.
"It's within the law to discipline your child," said attorney Edward Martell, who represented Williams.
Williams is still off work pending the outcome of an administrative review, but is hoping to return to duty soon.
“Next step is getting back to work,” Williams said in an interview with 7 News Detroit. “I’ve been off work for a year now. I want to get back.”
In April of 2024, Worthy authorized charges against Williams after video emerged, her office said, showing the off-duty officer arcing his department issued Taser while standing near his 10-year-old nephew, who could be heard shrieking.
Williams was suspended by DPD and then-Chief James White sought to take Williams pay during the suspension. But his request was rebuffed, 7-2, by the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.
Different from firing a taser, arcing it creates an electric current between the two probes and emits a charging sound meant to warn or intimidate a target. The Taser was never fired.
"The 10-year-old wouldn’t know the difference,” said Commander Michael McGinnis of DPD’s professional standards bureau last May. “It clearly instilled fear into (him).”
But a jury disagreed that Williams actions amounted to criminal behavior, acquitting him on both charges levied by the prosecutor.
Co-counsel Mohammed Nasser said the jury heard testimony about other discipline used within his nephew’s family, stressing that Williams never touched the 10-year-old.
“It’s a weight lifted off his shoulders,” said Nasser. “He was wrongly accused and now he’s vindicated.”
“The truth is, this young man sought to discipline his nephew and he did so based upon the conduct of the nephew," Nasser said. "And at the end of he day, within this great state...you have the ability to reasonably discipline your child, up to and using reasonable force.”