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Gwinnett County Police Break Down Door To Wrong House
wsb web site ^ | 12/10/08 | WSB news

Posted on 12/11/2008 3:52:51 AM PST by from occupied ga

Gwinnett County police said they accidentally broke down the door to the wrong house before going to the correct house and arresting a man on drug charges.

Gwinnett County police investigators intended to execute a no-knock search warrant at a home on Valley Spring Drive in Lawrenceville Wednesday morning. Police said the lead investigator mistakenly pointed out a home to the officers and once officers entered the home they realized they were in the wrong house.

VIDEO: Gwinnett County Police Break Down Door To Wrong House

The homeowner of the incorrectly targeted house told Channel 2 that having guns pointed at him was something he would never forget.

"(They) put my life, daughter’s life, my lady’s life in danger," said homeowner John Lewis.

Lewis said Gwinnett County investigators burst through his front door and ordered him and his girlfriend to the floor at gunpoint.

“It’s an experience to have one gun draw on you. It’s something else to have 15, 16 of them,” said Lewis.

Lewis said his 3-month-old baby saw the whole thing. “She was the calmest one,” said Lewis.

Police said once they realized their mistake the search was ceased and the homeowners were released. Police said the front door to the home was damaged during the process.

Fifteen minutes after bursting into Lewis' home, officers served a search warrant at the correct home on Valley Spring Drive. Police said the warrant was served after a three-month drug investigation.

Police arrested Efrain Pedruza, 31, and he was taken to the Gwinnett County Detention Center. Police said they found $24,000 in cash in the home.

Officials said the investigation is continuing. Police are paying for the repairs to Lewis' door.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; US: Georgia
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; noknockwarrant; swat; wod; wronghouse
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To: -YYZ-

Watch as police raid an empty house, where less than 24 hours earlier two small Christmas trees were placed under grow lamps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHmP_KtmcB4

It will be interesting to see what manner of lies appear on the probable cause affidavit that was used to secure the search warrant.

But who can blame them, really? Conducting an actual investigation and gathering actual evidence is such a pain in the neck, after all. *barf* *barf*


81 posted on 12/11/2008 6:30:29 AM PST by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: TaxRelief

I would suppose it would depend on which end of the gun barrel you were viewing the “single error” from...


82 posted on 12/11/2008 6:36:50 AM PST by padre35 (You shall not ignore the laws of God, the Market, the Jungle, and Reciprocity Rm10.10)
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To: -YYZ-

There should be a way to turn off the sewer outlets outside, if that’s the only reason for not knocking or apprehending as the criminal leaves.


83 posted on 12/11/2008 6:37:02 AM PST by CindyDawg (Lord, please bless America)
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To: mvpel

And Chavalia is back on the job as well.


84 posted on 12/11/2008 6:40:21 AM PST by padre35 (You shall not ignore the laws of God, the Market, the Jungle, and Reciprocity Rm10.10)
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To: from occupied ga

If only one of these folks had been Governor of Illinois. Then they would have received a nice phone call telling them that the police were outside and would they please, in about 15 or 20 minutes, come on out. But then again, a few bags of weed or maybe some meth is much worse than selling a Senate seat, taking bribes for a children’s hospital, trying to get an editorial writer canned, and who knows what else. We must remember the wisdom of John Edwards. There really are two Americas.


85 posted on 12/11/2008 6:42:12 AM PST by AD from SpringBay (We deserve the government we allow.)
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To: Bulldawg Fan

“The rank and file are...”

Of course not, isn’t Atlanta were that old lady was shot and killed in a no knock drug raid?

The one where the informant made up the information, the cops knew it, Kathryn Johnston:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/us/27atlanta.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

“In court documents, prosecutors said Atlanta police officers regularly lied to obtain search warrants and fabricated documentation of drug purchases, as they had when they raided the home of the woman, Kathryn Johnston, in November, killing her in a hail of bullets.

Narcotics officers have admitted to planting marijuana in Ms. Johnston’s home after her death and submitting as evidence cocaine they falsely claimed had been bought at her house, according to the court filings”

And of course, there were no prosecutions for murder in that case...


86 posted on 12/11/2008 6:45:33 AM PST by padre35 (You shall not ignore the laws of God, the Market, the Jungle, and Reciprocity Rm10.10)
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To: engrpat

Lawrencville GA


87 posted on 12/11/2008 7:09:00 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government,)
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To: TaxRelief

You tell me, Mr. Mathematician. What is the percentage? What is an acceptable percentage of bad raids leading to dead innocents in the Holy Drug War? You don’t know the percentage? How are you so sure of yourself, in your ignorance? How do those other factors you name excuse the bad raids? Those factors just mean that there must be an extremely high standard of care before executing such a raid, a standard that is often not met.


88 posted on 12/11/2008 7:12:32 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Obama: Carter's only chance to avoid going down in history as the worst U.S. president ever.)
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To: mad_as_he$$

>>Not to long ago in the midwest cops broke down the wrong door and some very old lady shot several of them.

That happened here in Atlanta in the last year or year-and-a-half. Might be a different story though.

She wound up dead, 1-2 cops wounded.


89 posted on 12/11/2008 7:14:10 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Obama: Carter's only chance to avoid going down in history as the worst U.S. president ever.)
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To: laotzu
Have you found the argument you are trolling for

I see I have offended you by using harsh language to describe a despicable act. Those who approve of this sort of thing should not be offended. It's government in action. Your heroes won again; got the $24k didn't they? The ones who should be offended are the few of us who think that this is just another step along the road to tyranny and that there isn't much difference between these jackboots and the sturmabteilung, kgb, tonton macoute, etc.

90 posted on 12/11/2008 7:15:57 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government,)
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To: from occupied ga
Your heroes won again

Who are my heroes?

Which side of this issue have I expressed support for?

Have you found the argument you are trolling for?

91 posted on 12/11/2008 7:28:00 AM PST by laotzu
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To: Spktyr
"This is why you armor your house and make it thug (all kinds of thug) resistant"

And this:

is why that is a stupid idea...

(See for yourself: do a Google Image search for "SWAT armored car")

92 posted on 12/11/2008 7:29:12 AM PST by TXnMA (Chief Justice: "To administer this oath would violate my oath to uphold the Constitution.")
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To: from occupied ga
I have offended you by using harsh language to describe a despicable act

You used harsh language to describe my fellow Freepers as "jackboot lickers".

And now, you are lieing about it.

93 posted on 12/11/2008 7:31:52 AM PST by laotzu
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To: iopscusa

“Police said they found $24,000 in cash in the home.”

Which of course, was what they were after in the first place...


94 posted on 12/11/2008 7:32:01 AM PST by babygene (It seems that stupidity is the most abundant element in the universe)
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To: imahawk
*** You would think after a three month investigation that the cops would get the right house. ***

Yes, you certainly would.
But, from watching these reality cop shows, with actual 'raids', it seems that once the investigation is done and they have evidence for a warrant, the actual Raid and Arrest gets turned over to a different unit.

That unit then goes over the 'arrest logistics and tactics' and is a SWAT Team, Drug Team, or some other 'Special Entry Unit' - all armed to the teeth, with ski-masks, grenades, 1,000 rounds of ammo each, etc, like they were launching a coup d'etat against a small country.

I'm just surprised they're paying for a new door. And that this 'wrong house' stuff doesn't happen more.

95 posted on 12/11/2008 7:34:35 AM PST by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits)
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To: Bulldawg Fan

My bet is that that informant deliberately went to the wrong house to give a heads-up to the real target. Notice that they did not get any drugs?

In all truth, this is just a practice assignment for the police to raid their house for not using the county mandated garbage company and not recycling...


96 posted on 12/11/2008 7:44:17 AM PST by Dacula (So long and thanks for all the fish.)
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To: laotzu
used harsh language to describe my fellow Freepers as "jackboot lickers".

Only those who approve of these tactics. If the shoe fits, wear it. OTO you seem to have no qualms about calling me a liar. I bit hypocritical on your part I'd say.

97 posted on 12/11/2008 7:50:01 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government,)
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To: TXnMA

There are ways, quite easy ways, to deny them access to your real front door (and therefore the winch/cable technique of ripping doors off. And unless they deploy a tracked vehicle (rare), you can make it so they can’t easily punch a hole with a truck either.


98 posted on 12/11/2008 7:50:32 AM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: TXnMA
Misc pictures

Why God gave us IEDs, sabots, tungsten, and tungsten carbide.

99 posted on 12/11/2008 7:53:09 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government,)
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To: TaxRelief; from occupied ga
What if it were an "honest mistake" and they killed you or your wife or your child? Could you forgive that?

That didn't happen, did it? The police don't start randomly shooting on these raids.

Now there is where you are so wrong. Shooting occurs quite frequently on these "mistake" raids and they don't just happen "now and then", they are a growing epidemic in the US. No knock warrants and the war on drugs is to blame. Every police force wants a swat team. These teams are basically illegal in the US as far as I am concerned and so are no knock warrants.

Humans and Dogs are killed constantly now by police making raids on the wrong houses or just making a routine call on houses. Our police are getting out of hand and the main blame can be laid to the trashing of our constitution.

100 posted on 12/11/2008 7:54:21 AM PST by calex59
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