Trial wraps in case of officer who woke men with a Taser

An Edmonton police officer will have to wait a month to find out if he will be convicted on assault charges for waking two men with a Taser.

Const. Jeff Resler, a 14-year veteran of the force, is accused of using a Taser — a weapon designed to cause temporary paralysis — to wake two sleeping men during a robbery investigation.

He faces two counts of assault and two counts of assault with a weapon.

In November 2003, Resler and three other officers were investigating an armed robbery at Edmonton's Cromdale Hotel.

According to Resler's own police report, when officers burst into a suite at thehotel, two males were passed out on the bed, and a third man was passed out on the floor.

He wrote: "I used the Taser along with verbal direction and I was now able to successfully wake up these males in a safe manner."

The Crown prosecutor Trudy Caisse argued Thursday thatthe officer used his Taser to zap the menas if itcould be used asan alarm clock, a move she calls excessive force.

But Resler's lawyer Alex Pringlesaid the court has heard so many different versions from witnesses of what happened that night it creates reasonable doubt. He says his client should be found not guilty.

Provincial court Judge Robert Philp will hand down his decision late next month.

Since 2003, Resler has been on the job without a weapon and can no longer respond to emergency calls.