Woman charged with Taser possession at protest waives preliminary exam

Detroit — A 21-year-old woman charged with possession of a Taser at the third night of police brutality protests in Detroit waived her preliminary examination on Wednesday, and will remain on a $10,000 personal bond as her case proceeds.

Court records show that Jade Caldwell, 21, is due in Wayne Circuit Court on July 8 for an arraignment on information. 

More:Prosecutor: Tennessee woman brought Taser to Detroit protest

Maria Miller, spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, said in a statement that Caldwell allegedly refused to leave after Detroit police officers gave orders to disperse.

Miller writes that Caldwell was "standing near an area where fireworks were being thrown at the officers," and that the Taser allegedly fell out of her pocket when officers "pursued" her.

Caldwell faces a charge of possession of a Taser.

On Saturday, at a tribunal at Detroit's Hart Plaza, protesters spoke of their run-ins with police in the early days of the near-nightly gatherings. Tristan Taylor of Detroit Will Breathe, which put on the tribunal, spoke of Caldwell's case without using her name, and disputed the official characterization of Caldwell as an outside agitator from Tennessee.

More:Tribunal at Hart Plaza puts Detroit's leaders 'on trial' for protest response

Taylor expanded on that Thursday, arguing that authorities describe Caldwell as being from Tennessee in an attempt to invalidate her participation in the protest.

"They do it in a very cynical way," Taylor said. "It calls into question everything they say. She's from Tennessee, but she lives here now."

Court records list a Brentwood, Tennessee, address and a Tennessee license plate on her vehicle, but also show that Caldwell was ticketed in February on a Detroit freeway by a Michigan State Police trooper.

The offense: going 1-5 mph over the speed limit.

The case was dismissed in March when the state trooper didn't show up to a court hearing.

Caldwell's attorney, Duane Johnson, was not immediately available.

jdickson@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @downi75