Posted on 02/12/2024 12:01:14 PM PST by TexasKamaAina
Randolph County couple Greg and Teresa Almond were recently awarded $1 million in punitive and compensatory damages after a federal jury determined that deputies illegally raided their home six years ago.
On Jan. 31, 2018, Randolph County Deputy Sheriff Nathaniel Morrow arrived at the Almond home around 2 p.m. and told Teresa that he was there to serve paperwork related to ‘a civil matter,’ according to documents from a federal civil rights lawsuit the couple filed in 2019.
Teresa told Morrow that Greg wasn’t home but said that he could return in two hours to give him the paperwork then.
Two hours later, a county drug task force returned based on Morrow’s claim that he smelled marijuana on the premises.
Shortly after Greg returned home, members of the task force kicked in the door of the Almonds’ home and threw a “shock” explosive device inside the residence...
During last month’s trial, Randolph County Circuit Judge Amy Newsome testified that she had never issued any kind of warrant for the sheriffs to search the Almond home.
Newsome added that she had also not communicated anything to them over the phone that would have allowed them to act in good faith, according to court documents.
(Excerpt) Read more at al.com ...
This win should be followed up with a civil suit against the sheriff to ensure he is personally bankrupted.
Exactly true. Power goes to their heads I think. Most cops are good cops, but ones like these hurt the reputation of all cops.
Yep. Real criminals are let go and law abiding citizens have their lives desyroyed.
To the LEOs who are doing this 🦬💩 and saying “Just doing my job” doesn’t cut it.
You are the enemy.
Gordon Liddy coined the term “Jack booted thugs”.
Very appropriate.
Start paying the damages out of the police retirement fund instead of from the taxpayer and every one of these JBTs deserves a long prison sentence.
“Pigs like these give all cops a bad name.
Exactly true. Power goes to their heads I think. Most cops are good cops, but ones like these hurt the reputation of all cops.”
This is true for doctors, lawyers, politicians, businessmen, and everyone else.
True, but considering what kind of immunity the police seem to have, I'm surprised that they got anything at all.
a million will set them up nicely in Alabama... but yeah, they should get e jean carol money.
awards like this should come out of police pension fund - not from the taxpayers.
That does not seem like enough money for two people made homeless and who lost family land and business health over an incident six years ago. I realize part of it was that they filed a document. too late; but surely their PTSD from the terror and injustice of the raid must have figured into that.
Cops are like a box of chocolates..
They’ll kill your dog!
That court is interfering with the cops doing their job, right, libs?
Do good cops tolerate psychos in their midst?
Those aren't entrusted with the power to upend peoples' lives on a whim.
Very
I'm sure the Drug Warriorstm would have cheered that outcome.
Too bad this won't come out of the pensions of the slimey bastards who illegally raided their home.
I respectfully disagree its a valuable tool when used responsibly. The problem is its misapplication.
In this case the police had no probable cause to search the residency in the fist place. They broke the law. No trained LEO would have entered the hose without a warrant because anything they obtained would be rightly tossed out of court.
As for the Civil Forfeiture it was not predicated on any legal standard since the search was illegal.
Civil Forfeiture needs to be determined by a court not an agency. If the cops and prosecutors know they will have to go to court and justify their their seizure and forfeiture they will clean up their act. This is the current standard for federal law enforcement.
This is not hard to fix. I don't want the El Chapos or financial scammers of the world to keep their ill gotten gains.
And I don’t want cops shaking down citizens on the side of the road “sign this and give up your $3000 or go to jail” or losing home and legally acquired possessions.
But here we are.
After legal fees and taxes they'll be lucky to get a 20 year old double-wide.
The government has proven decisively that it cannot be trusted with the power of civil forfeiture; abuse is baked into the system.
I don't want the El Chapos or financial scammers of the world to keep their ill gotten gains.
That's what criminal forfeiture is for. Get a criminal conviction first. Then and ONLY then can the convicted criminal's assets be pursued.
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