Former Officer Sentenced For Tasing Suspect While In Custody

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A former Springdale Police Sergeant was sentenced for punching and using a stun-gun on a man in custody.

Mark Thom received one-year plus one day in federal prison, followed by three-years supervised release.

Thom was tearful as he apologized to the victim, the people of Springdale and his family.

He also told the judge he always wanted to be a policeman.

He could have been sentenced to 18 to 24 months under federal sentencing guidelines but Judge Mark Hornak ruled that Thom's upbringing, surrounded by drug use among family members, was a factor in his decision.

"It was a dysfunctional family because his brother had died of a heroin overdose, his parents had trouble with substance abuse. What he was doing was his best to keep drug dealers out of his borough," defense attorney Robert Stewart said.