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Their View: Members of all faiths invited to wear yarmulke to support Jews

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A city police officer was injured when he was zapped by his own Taser during a struggle with a wanted woman who allegedly stole cupcakes at a store on Thursday.</p><p>Police responded to Schiel&#8217;s Family Market on Hanover Street just after 6:30 p.m.</p><p>A woman, later identified as Mary Balliet, failed to pay for cupcakes, according to court records.</p><p>When police initially questioned Balliet, she allegedly identified herself using another name.</p><p>As Balliet was about to be handcuffed, she began to fight and an officer used his Taser to control her, an affidavit states.</p><p>The officer was struck in the hand by the Taser during the struggle with Balliet, court records say.</p><p>A store manager assisted in detaining Balliet until a second officer arrived.</p><p>When police confronted her, Balliet was allegedly carrying a shopping bag that contained a syringe and clothes with Kmart sales tags.</p><p>Balliet, 29, reportedly told police she uses heroin. She also admitted the clothes found in the bag were stolen, authorities report.</p><p>The officer inadvertently stunned by the Taser was treated at a local hospital.</p><p>Balliet, meanwhile, was arraigned by District Judge David Barilla in Forty Fort on a long list of charges.</p><p>They include aggravated assault, resisting arrest, false identification to law enforcement, retail theft, possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property. The aggravated assault charge is graded as a felony.</p><p>Balliet, of Wilkes-Barre, was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $2,500 cash bail.</p><p>Court records show that a bench warrant was issued for Balliet just two days before the alleged market incident. She failed to appear in Central Court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing on a charge of hindering apprehension.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

WB officer zapped with own Taser during alleged struggle, arrest