Police used a Taser to subdue a homeless woman from the Seattle area who became belligerent Wednesday morning at the Corvallis mosque.

Eyerusalem B. Fesehaye, 26, was charged with trespassing, resisting arrest and assault on a police officer. The assault charge is a felony, and the others are misdemeanors. She was cited and released pending trial.

According to Mohamed Siala, emir of the Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center at 610 N.W.Kings Blvd., Fesehaye called the mosque from Albany on Monday evening asking for assistance. She said she had been evicted, had no food or money and needed a place to stay for the night.

It was unclear what Fesehaye was doing in Albany or how long she had been there.

Some women from the Islamic Center drove to Albany and brought Fesehaye to the Corvallis mosque, where they gave her food and a place to sleep, Siala said.

She stayed Monday and Tuesday nights, but on Wednesday morning she reportedly became abusive, yelling and spitting at people, according to Lt. Dave Henslee, a spokesman for the Corvallis Police Department.

"She became very angry at everyone at the mosque," Henslee said. "They asked her to leave and she would not, so they called us."

At about 9:45 a.m., Sgt. Jim Zessin approached Fesehaye at the Towne Pump gas station two blocks north of the mosque at Kings Boulevard and Fillmore Avenue. Fesehaye tried to leave, and when Zessin told her she was not free to go, "she knocked his hand away and attacked him," Henslee said.

Zessin told the woman to stop and warned her he would use his Taser, an electrical stun device, if she continued to strike him, Henslee said. When she didn't stop, he placed the Taser against her hip and discharged it.

"She quit, and he got her in the car," Henslee said.

Chris Robinson, who was working at the gas station, said he witnessed the tussle between Fesehaye and Zessin.

"He tugged her sleeve to get her attention, and she turned around and punched him," Robinson said.

According to Robinson, Fesehaye struck Zessin two or three times in the upper body and remained combative after Zessin handcuffed her. Robinson said the woman kicked Zessin several times as she was standing by his patrol car. Although he didn't see Zessin use his Taser, Robinson said he heard the officer warn Fesehaye repeatedly.

"I heard him warn her at least twice: 'If you don't stop fighting, I'll have to tase you,'" Robinson said.

Siala said there was no religious or political element to the confrontation at the mosque. The people there were trying to help her until she started a confrontation.

"I feel sorry for her," Siala said of Fesehaye. "I sincerely hope they don't press charges."

Corvallis police have used Tasers four times this year - three of those within one week in January. Twice officers used their stun guns during domestic incidents when abusive men attacked police. In the third, a man jumped out of his car and charged an officer while yelling.

In the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, Corvallis police used Tasers 14 times. During that period, they used other kinds of force - including control holds, firearms, restraints and focused blows - a total of eight times.