Palmer Township Tasers Man Who "Flipped Out"

Palmer Township police Tasered a man Tuesday morning after finding him naked on a bed, bouncing on his knees, allegedly under the influence of methamphetamine, and repeating what became his mantra during the incident, “Everybody was going to die.”

Jason M. Laduca, 23, repeated that phrase as police tried to subdue him and finally used the Taser on him. And he used the phrase with his girlfriend, who didn’t realize it was Laduca because he was “speaking with an accent.”

He also told his girlfriend – in what turned out to be a lie -- that another woman in the S. Nulton Street house was dead on a living room chair.

The women told police Laduca was using drugs during the early hours of New Year’s Day “and he must have flipped out” after they fell asleep, court records say.

Police found two lines of a white powder that later tested positive for methamphetamine. They also found a mirror on which the lines were placed and a rolled-up dollar bill.

Police had to shoot Laduca twice with the Taser because the probes from the first shot either were pulled out or didn’t work, the records say.

A criminal complaint does not list a home address for Laduca. But elsewhere in his file is an address on the 800 block of Reveres Way in Forks Township.

The complaint, filed by township Officer John Gillen, also says:

• Gillen and township Officer David Brotzman were dispatched to the 400 block of S. Nulton Street around 9am on a report of a male breaking into a house. County 911 later said the male was assaulting a female.

• Police checking the rear of the house heard what sounded like several women “screaming and crying” inside.

• Once inside, police encountered the other woman. When they asked her where the man was, “she just pointed to the second-floor bedroom area.” While walking upstairs, they saw a woman – the girlfriend -- sitting on a bed “crying uncontrollably.” Gillen asked her several times if she knew the man, and each time she said she had never seen him.

• Police said that when they found Laduca naked and bouncing on the bed, he also was touching himself. After police ordered him several times to cooperate and said they would use the Taser if necessary, Laduca turned around with his back toward the officers and placed his hands behind his back.

• As Brotzman tried to cuff his right wrist, Laduca pulled forward. Gillen shot him with the Taser. As Laduca was going down on the bed, he tried to swing his left hand around to hit Brotzman.

• Gillen used the Taser a second time because the first set of probes either were pulled out or didn’t work. The second shot caused Laduca to fall to the floor, and he was handcuffed without incident.

• Gillen and township Det. Thomas Vogel found the methamphetamine and related items.

• The girlfriend told police she was in bed when a man ran into her room and said the other woman was dead on a living room chair. She said the man grabbed her and said “everyone was going to die.” She didn’t realize the man was Laduca because he was “speaking with an accent.” She said he ran into another room and she called 911.

Laduca was charged with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon by on-duty District Judge Diane Marakovits of Northampton and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail.