Family Responds to Bolivar Arrest
“I do not think it is fair to do anybody’s child the way they did mine,” said Lillie Horton. She said her son, George Bonner, 22, of Bolivar has had a long history of mental health problems, beginning when he was just a toddler. As a young adult he has been in and out of treatment. However, on Saturday family members said his most recent run in with the law turned violent. “I seen the police had him in the back of the police car and they was tasing him and they was beating him,” said witness Joseph Griggs. Horton said Bonner was taking two types of medication when he ran completely naked down a residential street. He was caught in a nearby field where witnesses said he was hog-tied and tased multiple times. “He was hollering, he was hollering real loud. I told them, I got to go. I do not want to stay over here to see that,” said Brenda Wellington, who lives adjacent to the property Bonner was caught. However, family members said the tasing did not stop after they left the scene. They said Bonner was tased a number of times while in the back of the squad car. “If they had handcuffs on him, on his legs and his arms, they should have just left it at that. They did not have to tase him,” said Griggs. Bonner is back at The Western Mental Health Institute as his family tries to put the pieces of what really happened together. “All I want is justice. If they did it to mine, they will do it to somebody else and I want it to stop,” Horton said. Bolivar Police Chief Bill Irons said Bonner was tased once, however he is unaware about the other accusations. He said as long as Bonner was not taking any illegal drugs during the time of the incident, he will likely not face any charges.
