Posted on 02/09/2013 2:04:51 PM PST by rarestia
A Pasco County couple made headlines this week after they say a SWAT team wrongfully busted into their home. But now, the sheriff's office is speaking out.
Carl and Juanita Stark were sitting at their Moon Lake home Tuesday night, when they say they got the fright of their lives.
"I heard the window break, the door busted open and there was a big flash and a bang," said Carl.
"It scared me to death. I thought somebody had broke into the house," said Juanita. "And I thought oh Lord, they're going to kill us all."
But it wasn't a robber. It was the Pasco County SWAT team looking for 36-year-old Aaron Vineyard, who investigators believe is the head of a massive burglary ring on the west side of the county.
Vineyard wasn't there. Infact, it's not even his house.
The Starks say he lives next door and the SWAT team made a mistake. One they say could've put their lives in jeopardy because Carl is on oxygen and one spark could've sent the whole house up in flames.
"They knew Aaron Vineyards lived over here. Because they have been to his house, they have talked to him," Juanita said. "And no. They will never convince me that they thought he lived here."
Not so fast, said Sheriff Chris Nocco. Vineyard is Carl and Juanita's grandson and it's their address on his license. On top of that, the sheriff said a reliable informant led investigators to their home specifically.
"I think what the citizens need to realize is this home had been involved in the burglary ring," said Sheriff Nocco. "The person that we're looking for, Aaron Vineyard, had purchased guns in that house."
The Starks say this never happened.
Investigators finally caught up with Vineyard on Friday at his girlfriends house and arrested him. As for barging into the Stark's home, Nocco said the SWAT team had no choice.
He said Vineyard is a self proclaimed member of the Aryan Brotherhood and is known to carry a gun.
"This could've turned into a violent situation against law enforcement," Nocco said. "The person who should apologize is Aaron Vineyard."
Right now, Vineyard is charged with grand theft and dealing with stolen property, along with drug charges.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office expects more charges, as well as more arrests, to come.
Meanwhile, no record of actual POLICE WORK being done here. They took the word of a "reliable informant." No stakeout of the residence was done. No unmarked car parked near this mobile home to see if the suspect was regularly in or out. Just a "reliable informant."
This isn't too far from where I live. I'm starting to get nervous about our militarized police forces in the Tampa Bay area. There was an article posted to FR recently that discussed Florida Highway Patrol's "vehicle inspection checkpoints" in and out of Hillsborough county. Might need to consider getting out of Florida for real.
This Nocco is a complete arrogant power-mad ass. Because a suspect they are after may be armed and dangerous gives carte blanche forced entry into any property? What about warrants? I understand there are such things as no-knock warrants, but there still has to be a presigned piece of paper (Nocco, that's a f@cking warrant in case you don't know). The Starks should get a lawyer. If I got on the jury, they'd win.
The cops won't like it. And maybe the guy fighting back will be sort of a leftist loon. But some of us are going to see the police running around, scared of their own shadow and we're gonna cheer. They've got it coming, because they don't police themselves. Jack-booted thugs think they can do anything they like.
Every overweight, moronic, superannuated cop these days fancies himself a Navy SEAL, and wants to get dressed up in his gear and break down doors.
This particular form of egregious childishness is extremely dangerous and has to be stopped.
Even if the felon had been there, it’s no excuse for breaking down doors and terrorizing the elderly.
As a society, we should expect that sort of behavior only from terrorists.
Amen, brother.
Could they have tried, like, knocking on the door?
Why don’t they do an old fashioned stakeout anymore? Follow the guy around and catch him when they know he’s there. Let’s just kick in the damn door of some relative and hope he’s there... Great police work.
Oh, but he allegedly had a scary gun! They couldn’t just knock on the door that would be putting their lives in danger.
I bet a SWAT team wasn’t needed when they finally arrested him. SWAT teams are a bigger threat to society than criminals.
Downing several red bulls and doing a bunch of fist pumping before smashing into someone’s home don’t make a putz with a badge a Navy Seal.
And just how many Navy Seals do we see busting down citizens’ doors? And getting the wrong address from a “reliable informant”?
No knock warrants are evil.
Well said.
What ever happened to doing a little detective work and picking up the guy going or coming? Breaking down a door and rushing in is just asking for trouble.
Uhhh!!!! I think that is happening in LA now.
many people are cheering a killer while the police are shotting at women in pickup trucks.
Note: I am not cheering.Just posting what is happening.
Yeah, what ever happened to knocking on the door and asking a few questions, in the daytime?
if you go look or the REZKO family that may make more sense. Remember Obama’s buddy Tony Rezko ~ that’s what the name means.
Investigators finally caught up with Vineyard on Friday at his girlfriends house and arrested him.
So where was the SWAT team and what happened to her door.
It appears to me that these cops were sending this old couple a message.
Kindly elderly folk should be more careful of the company they keep.
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