Posted on 11/17/2017 4:18:37 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
A Buffalo Township couple is suing the township police and the Nationwide Insurance Co. after, their lawsuit says, hibiscus plants growing in their backyard were mistaken for marijuana plants.
In a lawsuit, Edward Cramer, 69, and his wife, Audrey Cramer, 66, claim that Buffalo Township police handcuffed them both and made them sit in the back of a police car for hours last month as police ransacked their house looking for marijuana.
But rather than running a pot-growing operation, the Cramers say they grow flowering hibiscus in their backyard.
The Cramers were not charged.
They filed a civil lawsuit Thursday in Butler County Court against Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., Nationwide agent Jonathan Yeamans, Buffalo Township and three of its police officers.
Among the allegations are use of excessive force, false arrest, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.
(Excerpt) Read more at triblive.com ...
Sounds like some simple education is needed!
By funny coincidence I am drinking hibiscus tea while reading this. That gave me pause.
Hi Biscuss?
No doubt. We have one in our yard every summer. They’re not even remotely similar in appearance.
L
Someone really ignorant might mistake roselle hibiscus for marijuana. Cops wouldn’t seem to have an excuse. With common hibiscus, such a mistake would seem impossible.
Roselle hibiscus is trendy in Asian-style cooking.
Hibiscus vs marijuana
Apparently western PA.
Where folks answer the door partially undressed.
And their betters don’t know marijuana from hibiscus.
Stranger things have happened in central PA but we don’t talk about them.
The trouble started when a neighbor’s tree fell on the Cramer’s property in September.
The lawsuit states that Yeamans came to the property on Oct. 5 to investigate the insurance claim.
But the suit claims that Yeamans surreptitiously shot photos of the flowering hibiscus growing in the Cramers’ backyard and sent them to police as evidence of a marijuana grow operation.
According to the complaint, Yeamans “intentionally photographed the flowering hibiscus plants in such a manner as not to reveal that they had flowers on them so that they would appear to resemble marijuana plants.”
Based on those photos, the suit claims, Buffalo Township police Officer Jeffrey Sneddon obtained a search warrant for the Cramers’ property. The suit says that Sneddon claimed to have expertise in identifying marijuana.
The suit alleges that the search warrant contained no probable cause to search the Cramers’ home.
The police apparently arrived at the Cramers’ home around noon Oct. 7 while Audrey Cramer was on the second floor only partially dressed.
When she answered the door, she alleges that about a dozen officers were pointing assault-style rifles at her.
Its the combo idiot plate. The idiot, busybody insurance adjuster who doesn’t know a marijuana plant from a flowering hibiscus. The police “plant expert” ditto. Follow it all up with a SWAT raid on a elder couple. Lawsuits. Lawsuits all around. With a double dose on Nationwide Insurance.
Only a complete moron would mistake a hibiscus for anything else. My wife has them in our garden. The flowers can be a foot across and really stark in color.
The insurance adjuster probably thought it was an easy way to get out of paying a small, legitimate claim. I wonder what other stunts he's pulled over the years.
The problem with these types of lawsuits is, even if they win, the taxpayers will pay. There needs to be ruinous judgments against the police officers and other officials who were involved in this.
That’s real thug behavior.
Trying to figure out from this why it is that the insurance company is getting sued…
This story was on the local news this morning. The lady homeowner said that the way she was treated she will never trust the police again and it was a wake up call for her.
“The problem with these types of lawsuits is, even if they win, the taxpayers will pay.”
The people are responsible for their local government. Make them get control of their civil servants or go bankrupt.
That said, I also agree that these fine civil servants should be sued personally and investigated for possible criminal actions.
>>The lady homeowner said that the way she was treated she will never trust the police again and it was a wake up call for her.
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A hard but necessary lesson to learn these days. It is sad that the days of police officers have been replaced with Swat team performances by Law Enforcement Officers. Of course there was no need for it, but I suspect the purpose was to intimidate much in the same way a bully intimidates his weaker victims. My heart goes out to the elderly lady.
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