Local woman claims IFPD officer assaulted her 12-year-old son

VIDEO IN STORY IS A REENACTMENT.

A local woman claims an Idaho Falls police officer assaulted her 12-year-old son.

The mother is now starting the process to take legal action against IFPD.

Amy Olzak’s attorney sent a tort claim to IFPD last week.

It claims that an IFPD officer used unnecessary and excessive force on Olzak’s minor son.

The damages stated on that claim are broken teeth, a possible concussion, and bruising and trauma to the neck and facial area.

“He walked over to my son and then he put my son’s hand behind his back and like lifted him up in the air and slammed his face into the trunk of a car,” Olzak said.

Olzak said she reported her son missing on March 13.

“I just wanted them to help me find where he was,” said Olzak.

Olzak and friends say they spent the day searching for him.

The mother says she immediately called dispatch after he was located by her friend.

“I just wanted them to be aware. They came over. I talked to an officer for a minute and he walked over to my son. Then he put my son’s hand behind his back and like lifted him up in the air and slammed his face into the trunk of a car,” said Olzak.

The car belongs to Courtney Beck. Beck said she doesn’t know why the officer did that. She says there was “absolutely no reason for it”.

“He put his arm behind his back and his head into the back of trunk hard enough that it chipped his tooth and then placed him under arrest,”said Beck.

Jessica Bowles said she witnessed the whole thing and couldn’t believe what happened.

“I walked up closer and saw a chipped tooth, blood, and two fats lips,” said Bowles.

The mother said she called dispatch again.

“Another officer came over and they decided he needed medical attention,” said the mother.

All three women said the officer kept the boy in handcuffs and took him to the hospital.

“He was kept in handcuffs until I took him home,” Olzak said.

Olzak said she does not know why the officer arrested her son.

“In this particular case there was a juvenile that was signed as a runaway,” said IFPD Capt. Royce Clements. Clements said Idaho law gives police permission to pick up the child and release them to a 3-b detention center or family regardless of what the child wants. Clements also said law allows officers to arrest runaways. He says IFPD takes allegation and complaints against it’s officer very seriously.

“In this particular case it was determined that we did send this to internal affairs and that is ongoing. When a case goes to internal affairs there is a process by which we go through that. Once that investigation is completed the full results of that come back to the chief of police and as an administrative team we discuss that and make a determination as if or what sanctions will or need to take place,” Clements said.

Clements is not sure when that investigation will be complete.

“We know we can’t effectively do this job without the trust of the public. When the public comes in and they’re not happy with something that we’re doing we take a hard look at it and see what we can do,” said Clements.

The mother said she was never notified of any charges filed against her son.

Local News 8/KIDK Eyewitness News checked the Idaho Repository Friday night. At that time we did not find any recent charges filed against the minor.

We asked IFPD if it has body camera video.

The department told us at this time it does not require officers to wear body cameras.

IFPD said it cannot comment any further because it’s an ongoing investigation.