Slap After Syringe-Stick Surprise Sends South Nashville Cop to Desk Duty

A three-year veteran of the Metro Nashville Police Department is on desk duty after allegedly slapping a woman she arrested.

Officer Elizabeth Berry-Loucks was arrested on a misdemeanor assault citation Tuesday and decommissioned as the Office of Professional Accountability conducts an investigation.

Around 5 a.m. Tuesday, Berry-Loucks was searching Rachel Hall, 22, during an arrest on multiple drug and gun charges when she was allegedly stuck by an uncapped syringe hidden in Hall's bra. Berry-Loucks then allegedly immediately reacted by slapping Hall in the face with her open hand.

Hall, meanwhile, is charged with possession of heroin for resale, felony theft, possession of pills without a prescription, unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, and violation of Tennessee’s Crooks with Guns law. She is jailed in lieu of $25,000 bond. Police recovered 9.5 grams of heroin, 2.9 grams of cocaine, 112 miscellaneous pills in baggies, and three pistols, two of which were reported stolen in Hermitage-area burglaries, from Hall's Bell Road home.