Ex-officer pleaded no contest to Taser prank

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A former Gwinnett County police officer has pleaded no contest to charges that he stunned a Waffle House employee with a Taser as a prank that prompted a civil suit against the county.

Gary Miles, a former corporal, had been indicted on charges of aggravated assault and violation of oath of office. Court records show he pleaded no contest to a lesser charge in May and was sentenced to 12 months of probation.

A waiter at the Waffle House in Loganville told police that Miles, a regular customer, zapped him from behind with a Taser while he was chatting with two other officers on Feb. 16, 2009. The incident resulted in Miles' resignation as well as the resignations of the other two officers, Sgts. Christopher Parry and Joey Parkerson.

The waiter, Daniel Wilson, reached a confidential settlement in a lawsuit against Miles and the other two officers, but dismissed a lawsuit he had filed against Gwinnett County, according to Wilson's attorney, Mike Puglise.

"After an exhaustive investigation by our expert, we agreed that the conduct recorded on video was an isolated incident and the appropriate measures were taken by the [Gwinnett County Police Chief] Charlie Walters in disciplining the former officers and their supervisors," Puglise said in an email Friday.