SELMA – A former Selma police officer is under investigation by the NC State Bureau of Investigation. Officer Dannya Denise Tavarez was a school resource officer at Selma Middle School until her resignation in April 2024.
On June 10, 2024, Johnston County Assistant District Attorney Paul Jackson requested the NC SBI investigate allegations against Officer Tavarez that she assaulted a teacher at Selma Middle School with a taser.
Tavarez was assigned to the Selma Middle School as the school resource officer when the assault occurred.
According to a search warrant obtained by the NC SBI, a school teacher reported that Officer Tavarez shocked her with her Selma police department issued taser. The teacher reported the offense to the school principal and Selma Police. Police then notified the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office.
According to court documents, the teacher said the assault occurred in October or November 2023 during the school’s first period. This was a planning period for the teacher.
Officer Tavarez was reportedly making her rounds throughout the school when she went into the teacher’s classroom to talk.
The teacher asked Tavarez what the taser was, and Tavarez allegedly responded, “I am going to tase you with it.” The teacher responded by saying, “No, you’re not.”
Taverez then reportedly tased the teacher by sparking the taser and making contact with the teacher’s left hip area, conducting what is called a “drive stun”.
The teacher said she yelled and told the resource officer it hurt. Tavarez replied by saying that she did not do it “full force” and that she had “tased kids around here and they don’t act like that,” according to court documents.
The teacher asked the officer is she had tased any middle school kids and Tavarez allegedly responded, “the ones that I know their parents.”
After the incident, Tavarez walked out of the room and the teacher did not disclose the assault until she spoke with another Selma police officer on June 6, 2024.
The teacher told law enforcement the taser left a bruise but she did not take any photographs of it after the incident.
The search warrant stated Selma Police Chief Jamie Hughes told the NC SBI that Officer Tavarez was assigned a taser. The taser assigned to Officer Tavarez has an event log that captures the time and date when it is used.
The June 2024 search warrant seeks several items for the NC SBI investigation including the Selma Police Department’s use of force and procedure manual, taser data, personnel and internal affairs files for the officer, along with her training records.
Selma Police Chief Jamie Hughes told the Johnston County Report that he was unable to discuss the matter. Chief Hughes confirmed Officer Taverez was hired by the department on October 30, 2020 and as of April 22, 2024 was no longer employed by the agency.
Shocking
I’m stunned it took her so long to report it😂
October/november 2023 it happened and it took you until June 2024 to report it?????? Sounds like there’s more to this. The officer doesn’t need to be an officer and I’m sorry, I don’t think this teacher needs to be teaching. Way to protect those kids by not reporting them possibly being tased by this pos disgrace to the badge.
I smell another girl/girl breakup story. God they’re a mean bunch.
I know that officer used to work with her at Airflow. She is a good person just loves to joke a lot. I hope she didn’t do that but that’s my girl regardless I hate police but I like Jersey that’s her nickname. Why it take forever for the teacher to report it though?
Is that supposed to make sense?
This is the funniest story I’ve read in here in forever.
Something is definitely amiss here. Nothing adds up.