Officers refused to believe homeowner who said suspect wasn't in house
Deputies in a Texas county have settled a lawsuit brought against them for injuring a man who refused them permission for a warrantless search of his home after he told the officers the person they sought wasn’t there.
The deputies didn’t believe the homeowner, Huntly Dantzler, but it turned out he was right.
Before they discovered Dantzler was telling the truth, however, they handcuffed him, threw him to the ground and arrested for him refusing to give consent. The officers then coerced his wife, Susan Dantzler, to allow one of them to conduct the warrantless search.
After a judge ruled that at least some of the couple’s claims were valid and would require a trial, the deputies agreed to a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed.
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4 comments:
Cops breaking the law day it ain't so.
Constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, which handled the case, said there are those “who insist that if you’ve done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide, you should submit to police demands to search your person and your home, whether or not those orders are lawful.”
“What makes this case so striking is the contrast between American citizens who not only know their rights but are exercising them and government officials – in this case, the police – who are either completely ignorant of what the law requires (namely, a search warrant and probable cause) or who don’t believe the laws of the land, namely the Fourth Amendment, apply to them,” he said.
Yes, a lot of people around smallsbury and other areas believe that also. Unfortunately that is not the case. Cops are just people with a badge and a costume. Many think they know the law but far too often we find that is NOT the case. They can and do intimidate others into believing they do or people are just scared to stand up to cops fearing retaliation, abuse, attacks and even death.
2-3+years ago the state of Indiana passed a law making it legal to shoot (rouge) cops who enter people's homes illegally. I just wonder how many times cops have abused, attacked, and whatever else to make such a law feasible.
I can't wait to see what kind of defense the cop lovers on here start to spout. And no snowflakes, I am not a cop hater. But I do like truth, fair play, responsibility, and accountability. And for a SGT. to do something like this, well, that not only says a lot about him but the entire dept. as well.
The deputies agreed to a settlement??
perhaps you mean the deputies agreed to make the taxpayers pay the settlement.
law enforcement officers are never held personally liable in a lawsuit the tax payers always get stuck paying.
7:44 Maybe read the article. The deputies were not given protection of immunity meaning they could be sued individually.
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