ZANESVILLE, Ohio - In Muskingum County, the long arm of the law often holds a Taser. 

Guards want their inmates to know that, according to video obtained by 10 Investigates.

The guards claim they only use tasers when needed, but Chadd Lyons claims that's not true.

"(The guards) came in and said, 'We're tired of this - tired of the noise,'" Lyons said.

He was in the Muskingum County jail while waiting for a trial a couple of years ago.  Lyons said that he was sleeping in his bunk one day when inmates in other cells started acting up and being loud, but guards punished him.

"(The guard) said, 'He's a smart (expletive).  Go ahead.  Hit him.'"

The guards used a Taser to electrify Lyons with a powerful Taser charge.  According to Lyons, he was shocked several times.

Lyons still has scars.  While jail commanders claimed   they cannot remember the incident, use of force records obtained by 10 Investigates showed   the guards "applied a contact shock" but gave no further explanation.

Jail commanders freely acknowledged that guards pull their Tasers to intimidate inmates, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported.

In one case, records show a man was Tasered after he gave someone "an angry look."

Tonya Morrison is one of several former Muskingum County inmates who have filed suit against the jail. 

"I hit the ground," Morrison said.  "I thought I was having a heart attack." 

One man claimed guards used a Taser on him after learning he was Muslim.  Another man, Aaron Gray, sued after guards used a Taser on him for being too loud.  Records seem to support that claim but Gray later dropped his suit.

Morrison's suit alleges guards tortured her by strapping her onto a restraint chair and using the Taser on her numerous times.  She said she was left scarred and unconscious.

"It was the most intense pain in my life," Morrison said.  "My body started to shake and go into convulsions and I foamed at the mouth."

Muskingum County denies some of Morrison's allegations but deputies acknowledged they used a Taser on Morrison once because she refused to let go of a sink.  Deputies said they used a Taser on her because she banging on a cell door; the also claimed she had to be shocked to keep her from hurting herself.   

"This Taser shouldn't be used to make people quiet," said Michael Rourke, who serves as Morrison's attorney.

According to national standards, Taser use is prohibited unless the suspect has an obvious intention to use violence.  Even the Muskingum County sheriff agrees.

10 Investigates went searching through jail records and found a pattern of Taser use on offenders who were apparently nonviolent.

We pulled every use of force report for the past three years. We analyzed how often the jail uses Tasers and why, and found numerous cases in which the Tasers appear to have been used just to subdue non-violent inmates. 10 Investigates wanted to know what Col. Bryan Hoover, who runs the jail, had to say about our findings.

According to Hoover, all the allegations are baseless.

In the reports found by 10 Investigates, his jailers wrote, "I warned (him) if he did not stop yelling and disrupting, I would use the Taser.  He would not cease, so I shot him with the Taser."

In another case, they wrote, "Not even two minutes passed when the subject once again yelled, (the inmate was held down and was) Tased a third and final time."

Hoover said that while he is not familiar with these specific cases, deputies often leave important information out of their reports.

"I am not making an excuse for what's missing in that report, but that's common in law enforcement," Hoover said.

Hoover said that if people are alleging something different, then they should be talking with him.

Lyons said that he would have complained if it would have made a difference.

"If you're in jail for doing something wrong and you deserve to punished, I understand that," Lyons said.  "But if you're being punished for no reason, I don't agree with that."

Lawyers for Muskingum County stress that each decision to use a Taser is made on a case-by-case basis and said there is no all-inclusive guideline.

A jury will soon decide whether the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office has crossed the line with its Taser use.

Tonya Morrison's trial is expected to start in March.

Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for additional information.