Posted on 09/28/2006 5:26:29 PM PDT by Sir Gawain
Children handcuffed in police drug raid Dog also killed during bust; 18-year-old charged with misdemeanors, violation
By MIKE GOODWIN, Staff writer First published: Wednesday, September 20, 2006
SCHENECTADY -- A police strike team raided a woman's Prospect Street apartment and handcuffed her children and killed her dog early Tuesday in a $60 pot bust. The woman called it excessive force and a case of mistaken identity, but officers said they stormed the home for a good reason: One of her sons was selling marijuana there.
The Police Department's tactical squad knocked down the front door of the upstairs apartment at 110 Prospect St. and flooded into the apartment shortly after 6 a.m.
"I heard a big boom. My first reaction was to jump out of bed. We were trying to find where our kids were at and all of a sudden we had guns in our faces," said 40-year-old Anita Woodyear, who rents the second-floor flat.
During the ensuing chaos, police handcuffed two of the woman's children, Elijah Bradley, 11, and 12-year-old Victoria Perez, and shot at her dog in the kitchen before killing it in the bathroom, Woodyear said.
"That seems like an awful lot of firepower for marijuana," said Fred Clark of the Schenectady chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "That's like spending $125,000 for $5."
Woodyear said she suspected police had intended to search a neighboring home, but had the wrong address on the search warrant. Neighbors said they suspect illicit drugs are dealt at other homes on the block.
"No apology, no 'sorry about your dog,' " she said.
But police said they have no reason to apologize. They said they raided the house because Woodyear's 18-year-old son, Israel M. Bradley, sold three plastic bags of marijuana there for $40 on Sept. 15. They allege he sold two other bags of marijuana in the house for $20 on Aug. 28, they said.
In addition, police said Bradley was carrying marijuana in the home on Sept. 1.
"We had the absolute right house. We had the absolute right target," said Assistant Chief Michael Seber.
Police said Bradley was one of several drug dealers they have under investigation on Prospect Street.
"The whole street is a mess right now. We'll be back," Seber said.
Bradley was arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal sale of marijuana, an offense punishable by up to one year in jail. He was also charged with unlawfully possessing marijuana, a violation.
Police Lt. Peter Frisoni said Bradley admitted he sold from the apartment in a statement to investigators after the raid.
"The moral of the story is: If you don't want officers barging into your house with their guns drawn, don't let drug dealers stay with you and deal drugs out of your apartment," Frisoni said.
Woodyear said she is appalled about the way her children were treated -- and said her 12-year-old daughter was hit with pepper spray.
The dog, a pit bull terrier named Precious, urinated on the floor in fear and tried to run from the police before it was killed, Woodyear said.
Police said the animal was aggressive and left them no choice but to shoot.
Elijah Bradley said he awoke to find armed men in his home. "They had the shotgun in my face," the 11-year-old said. "I punched at him. I didn't know who he was."
Police said they had reason to have weapons drawn. Their search warrant noted that among the things they planned to search for were firearms, although no handguns were found.
The NAACP has previously criticized how police conduct raids, most notably during an incident earlier this decade when a Hamilton Hill girl was held at gunpoint and handcuffed after her mother agreed to allow police to search their home for an armed man. The family later sued the city, but the jury awarded no damages. But Paul DerOhannesian, a defense attorney and former Albany County prosecutor, said such a response may have been warranted if police believed there were guns in the house.
"This type of search warrant execution can be very dangerous from a law enforcement point of view," he said.
"You're going to have a heightened sense or need for security for officer safety. You literally have no idea what you're walking into."
"We got the dawg boys. Yee haw!"
ROTFLMAO! The woman's lying.
How did I know that was coming when I read that the police killed the dog?
Prove it.
L
Don't sell drugs!!!
They always kill the dog.
Question here. Not being personally familar with knock-the-door-down police drug raids, is it typical or even heard of, for police officers to carry and use shotguns?
They didn't have a warrant so he walked.
These cops had a warrant. Now, was this dog a Bichon Frise or that other dangerous breed, the Toy Poodle?
FYI only ping
In the fifties an early morning knock on the door was the milkman. The milkman is gone...replaced by thugs with guns...revolting!
.
Just Damn,no drug dealers here that would hide drugs on their kids or have pit bulls around their kids.
All for $60 in pot....
"Prove it."
LOL! I ain't the med examiner, so I can't do the tests to determine the chemistry at the time of death, or note entry exit wounds. I will say that I have absolutely no doubt that this dog got vicious and was about to attack. It's a friggin' pit and they are ALWAYS MEAN and NASTY to strangers upsetting the household. It's that simple. If you want to believe in fairy tale stories of gentle pits that pee and run when they're confronted by strangers upseting the household, go right ahead, but I'll just have to LMAO at htose stories.
The US v. Miller decision, "there is no military application of a shotgun..." was so wrong on it's face that people still laugh at the idiot judges.
Of course, since they were USSC judges, it is now law.
Yes, police officers have been known to carry and use a shotgun during duty. Their primary weapon is their pistol but the a shotgun is usually carried in a police cruiser. It is used in cases when extra fire power is possibly needed, usually during a raid or a shootout.
But thanks for playing our little game.
L
I propose that any policeman who shoots a dog be relieved of all liability if:
1. He can show, and medical personell who are NOT in the same employ agree, that the dog bit him/her.
2. That the dog left teeth marks in his body armor or impact weapon (billy club).
3. That a jury of 12 dog owners find that the dog was vicious and needed killing.
All that time, the body of the dog will be frozen. If the cop is found innocent, he/she will get medal.
If the cop is found guilty, the cop will be locked in a cell and served nothing but dog until:
A. the corpse of the dog has been completely consumed by the cop.
B. the cop dies of starvation.
Amen.
It's all for the chirlins, doncha know.
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