Posted on 10/28/2006 11:27:01 AM PDT by traviskicks
A Sugar Land woman says police went too far when they burst into her home and arrested her boyfriend and son on drug charges. The raid left her dog dead and caused thousands of dollars in damage.
"It was bang, bang, bang, then there was a boom as they broke the door in, threw the fire grenade, and then shot the dog," said homeowner Margot Allen. "This all happened in anywhere from five to fifteen seconds."
That's how Allen's son and boyfriend describe what happened that day. Sugar Land police acted on a tip. They say they found traces of marijuana and cocaine in her trash after a month-long investigation.
"There's no crack done in my house," she said. "There's occasional marijuana in my house. I don't do it because I don't happen to like it."
Based on the evidence in the trash, a regional SWAT team arrived at the home. Police say they knocked, waited 30 seconds, and then broke in with guns and a concussion grenade. The house suffered $5,000 damage and one officer shot and killed Margot's golden lab, Shadow, when police say it charged toward one of the officers. What did officers find inside?
"A joint half the size of my pinky fingernail and then one about this big," she said, showing a length on her finger. "And not anywhere near this big around."
The Sugar Land Police Department declined an on-camera interview, but they are defending their actions, saying they followed protocol to the letter.
The department says it was determined that the bust would be of a moderate risk. Even though they had no specific threat, they were prepared for firearms in the house and felt obligated to anticipate any resistance or violence. They say killing the dog was regrettable. They also say Allen's boyfriend has a history of drug convictions. But for Allen, it was overkill.
"They treated us like we were terrorists," she said. "They broke the door down. They shot my dog. They set my house on fire."
Both Allen's son and her boyfriend were charged with a Class B misdemeanor for that small amount of marijuana. That's punishable by up to six months in the county jail or a maximum $2,000 fine. Both of them will be in court on January 9.
That's why 90% of them should be fired, and the rest disarmed.
This isn't the first time that I've wasted keystrokes responding to someone who turned out to be making intentionally ridiculous posts. Fool me twice, shame on me.
A bunch of inept losers who need to draw authority from the state because they got beat up when they were lttle kids.
Sometimes, the truth hurts.
Goodbye to you and to every other moron that has suckered me in to wasting my time.
"but I if the facts support the actions of the police I doubt if you'll admit to acting like a knee jerk liberal."
Let's see. My great grandfather was the chief of police. My uncle was the chief of police. My dad served as a State Constable. I served as a State Constable. My first cousin served as a deputy who died in the line of duty. I have combined three nephews and nieces currently serving in LE. I believe I qualify for an opinion on this...for me, this is not a liberal or conservative issue as you would like to make it.
Meantime, the preservation of our freedoms and our Constitution are more important to me than any petty pot smoker.
T
Wow. Check out the size of that bad boy.
"I agree with GLH3IL, a JUDGE issued the warrant, the Police executed the warrant, if you have a problem take it up with the JUDGE."
So LE which makes the decision on how to execute the warrant bears no responsibilty?
That's interesting.
What more is there to know? If there had been sufficient quantities of drugs found to charge someone with distribution offenses, don't you think the police would have released that information? The truth is there is nothing more to know. A home was invaded by police, a dog was shot and killed, several thousands of dollars of property damage occurred, peoples' lives were put in danger (LEO's and citizens) and miniscule amounts of pot were found. If one supports the WOD, then this is just collateral damage. If one doesn't support the WOD, then this is evidence of legalized tyranny.
The reason behind these types of raids is that politicians and LE officials have decided that securing the evidence (drugs) is more important than the lives of the inhabitants of the home and the lives of the officers instructed to carry out these legalized home invasions. Ain't social engineering grand?
I stand by my call. You are unreasonable and dogmatic in your Taliban like approach regarding this issue.
And you are boringly derivative in your calls to legalize what the overwhelming number of Americans have repeatedly insisted should remain illegal.
Go to Waziristan and smoke the stuff...where it is part and parcel of that dynamic and progressive culture.
LOL.
man, I need a shirt like that
"...then this is evidence of legalized tyranny."
Place them on the border, or send them to Iraq to execute their skills against the insurgents in Iraq. Killing the family pet of an American citizen, come on.
I stand by my call. You gotta be a 6th century like Taliban muslim or the equivalent. Same difference.
Our society-the voting public-is on the verge of deciding that Big Macs should become illegal.
Are you too compliant and too complacent to care?
Enjoy your self-created Gulag.
Boring stuff. You are not getting your way on this.
Courts have done enough damage as it is.
Social issues shoud be decided by the people not the courts and pro drug zealots.
The Big Mac analogy does not work.
One is a food and the other is a drug - drugs, including THC, have been identified, categorized, and regulated for eons...all over the world...except in Waziristan, which is where you should go to smoke it.
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