Police apologize for raiding home of innocent couple
Clarksville’s police chief publicly apologized to a couple whose home was mistakenly raided by officers looking for an alleged drug dealer who lived nearby.
Chief Mark Smith said Monday that he also planned to offer a written apology to Teresa Guiler and James Elliott, who were sitting in their home watching television Friday night when masked men stormed into the house.
Smith said the mix-up on the addresses came from drug agents, who had received information from an informant that the alleged drug leader lived at 343B Old Trenton Road.
While the address was reportedly checked again before the raid, agents still entered the wrong home — going into the house next door that only had the letter “B” on the outside. That address turned out to be 341B.
Guiler, her arm in a sling from a previous injury, told police they had the wrong home as agents pointed a gun at her and Elliott, who is deaf and recently received a liver transplant, she said. Elliott resisted, Smith said, and officers had to control him by “bringing him down.”
Despite that, Smith said his agents never used excessive force.
“We (ensure) it’s done safely and with minimal amount of force as possible,” he said.
The couple’s attorney called the agents’ actions unacceptable.
“What justification can you give to kick a 54-year-old man who’s down on the ground?”
Meeks asked. “All he saw was men in masks and rifles. He was terrified. Then to get knocked down and stomped? They picked him up like a suitcase.
“The police department said they acted in normal procedure, but that’s not normal.”
The man police were actually looking for, Jeremiah Taylor, 24, was arrested and charged Friday night with possession of ecstasy for resale.
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Information from: The Leaf-Chronicle, http://www.theleafchronicle.com