Taser Used on Man Arrested for Library Burglary

Police used a Taser on a man suspected of breaking into the Essex Library last week and stealing $14.50 from a change tray.

The incident happened last Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the library in the 1100 block of Eastern Boulevard. Police say at 8:30 a.m., shortly before the library opened, a man donning a clown mask used garden shears to break in through the locked glass doors, then took $14.50 from a change basket, according to a police report.

Officers arrived shortly thereafter, and the man resisted arrest, even after police told him that they would use a Taser on him. He continued resisting and officers then used the Taser. Despite the shock, he continued flailing his feet and arms, according to the report. He growled and grit his teeth, according to police.

Christopher Michael Connelly, 27, of the unit block of Compass Road in Middle River, was charged with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary using tools, destruction of property, theft, two counts of second-degree assault and resisting arrest. He is being held in the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson on $100,000 bail, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for March 15 in district court in Towson.