Deputy Bakes ‘Sorry I Tased You’ Cake

Woman Uses Cake To Apologize to Deputy

A Pensacola woman has filed a civil lawsuit against a former Escambia County deputy who has been accused of discharging his stun gun and Tasing the woman’s chest and neck without provocation. The deputy tried to cover up the incident, then apologized with a ‘Sorry I Tased You’ cake.

Stephanie Byron, who filed the suit in federal court, also named Sheriff David Morgan in his official capacity as sheriff. Her suit alleges Michael Wohlers (the cake baker) used excessive force against Byron, violated her civil rights, committed battery against her and caused her hardships, which included physical injuries, monetary loss, medical expenses, humiliation and mental anguish.

The incident supposedly occurred in June 2015. Wohlers allegedly finished his patrol shift and stopped to visit Byron at an apartment complex where she was employed. The Sheriff’s Office and the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission said in documents that Wohlers’ discharged his stun gun during “horseplay” with Byron. Byron and her attorney said on Wednesday that there was no “play” involved in the incident though.

In the suit, per Pensacola News Journal, Byron alleges that when Wohlers arrived at the complex he “used his apparent law enforcement authority to initimidate, harass, and threaten plaintiff… about her personal life. Because Wohlers did not like how Plaintiff failed to respond to his show of authority, Wohlers became increasingly aggressive towards employees at the apartment complex’s office, including with Ms. Byron.”

The complaints says Wohlers took Byron’s sweet tea from her and refused to give it back. When she approached Wohlers to retrieve the drink, Wohlers allegedly discharged the stun gun into her chest and throat. The complaint also accuses Wohlers to have “jumped onto Ms. Byron, kneeing her in the chest,” after she fell to the ground and “forcefully removed the Taser prods.”

Court documents say Wohlers attempted to apologize to Byron by baking her a cake that read, “Sorry I Tased You.”

Wohlers has denied to comment on the case and his attorney denied the allegations in a written response to the complaint.

Morgan noted on Tuesday that Wohlers was not engaged in an official or approved activity at the time of the incident. Wohlers resigned from the Sheriff’s Office in July 2015 while being investigated for misconduct. The ECSO reported Wohlers lied to a training officer about how his stun gun was discharged and later filed a false report about the incident.

On Monday, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission announced that after reviewing the case Wohlers would be placed on a one-year probationary period from serving at any law enforcement agency in Florida.