The Pueblo County Sheriff's Department is defending its use of a Taser stun gun on an "out of control" 10-year-old boy prior to his arrest Monday after he damaged property and threatened his foster father, Daniel Biby, with a pipe and a stick. The unnamed boy, who has a violent history and record of running away, had run off to a neighbor's home and was cornered by a fence, between a camper trailer and pontoon boat. When the boy refused to drop the pipe, deputy Mark Myers fired his Taser, writes The Pueblo Chieftain [2]. The boy was booked on suspicion of menacing with a deadly weapon. Sheriff's policy discourages the use of Tasers on youths and the elderly, "except in the most extreme situations." But Sheriff Kirk Taylor defended the usage yesterday in a press conference: "We get no joy in doing what had to be done. My officers feel pretty bad, but they acted appropriately." The boy was not harmed, but Tasers have a reputation of being dangerous and occasionally killing people. As the Salt Lake Tribune [3] notes in an editorial this week, about 350 Americans have died as a result of Tasers since 2001.