Not a good day when you're lying handcuffed on the deck of your own home and deputies tell you that you've been murdered.
Yet, that's what happened according to one Cocke County couple, who have filed a $12 million lawsuit against the deputies and the sheriff's department. They also state in their lawsuit that officers provided no warrant either.
The press report also has fascinating details of the suit:
"The Lovells allege in their lawsuit that Cocke County Sheriff's Dep. David Parton, Sgt. Armando Fontes, and Lt. Doug Atkins attempted to use a large landscape timber to break down the door to their residence, located at 180 Solitaire Way, then entered the residence with guns drawn, including an assault rifle. The lawsuit contends that the Lovells were forced to lie on the front deck, while scantily clad, and that Jean Lovell was tackled and handled roughly by Fontes in the process. The Lovells also contend that, when they asked why the action was being taken, Jean Lovell was told that, "You're the one who was supposed to have been murdered ...."
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"Alternatively, if there existed a valid reason to search for a victim and/or a perpetrator, it is shown to the court that the alleged victim and/or perpetrator were not of a size sufficient that they could fit inside a kitchen drawer, or a bathroom drawer, or a drawer in a piece of furniture. "In short, there was no valid reason to rummage through plaintiffs' personal effects," stated the lawsuit."
I suppose saying "I'm not dead!!" just isn't proof.
UPDATE: I mentioned it in the comments section in this post, but here is the link to the LA Times story on Cocke County, which, naturally, local officials did not look kindly on.
Inmates still running the asylum in Cocke County, it seems.
ReplyDeleteThe LA Times recently did a feature on the county and County Mayor Iliff McMahan was not happy the story did not focus on all the good things in the county when it came to things like job recruitment.
ReplyDeleteHe ignores the debilitating activities of the sheriff's dept. at the county's peril, in my opinion.
The LA Times story is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/u943q
How stupid can those Cocke county deputys be? My god!! This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of! I think they should have to pay every bit of the 12 million dollars for being so stupid! I also think they should be fired! This probably aint the 1st time something like this has happened and I'm sure it wont be the last as long as there are idiots like these trying to play cops!
ReplyDeleteThis is totally unrelated, but I made the mistake of tuning in Neil Bortz on the way to work yesterday. Neil is telling his listeners that the Democrats have a campaign to "kill" talk radio within the next 2 and a half years. Have you heard his rant on this subject?
ReplyDeletenot heard that rant, but i'll look into it. i would imagine Boortz and other right-wing talkers (can't find a left-wing show, other than those on the Air America network) would be delighted with a Democrat majority -- gives them a reason to rant on radio.
ReplyDeleteI read a article in the citizen tribune a couple weeks ago about a lawsuit against cocke county that was simular to the one that was published in the newport paper, but the other one i read about said a disabled female who has a metal rod in her back was tackled by a cocke county deputy. that was terrible and that deputy should be ashamed of himself! I would like to know if this could be the same lawsuit or yet another one?
ReplyDeleteI don't thinnk it's the same, Heidi.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am sooooo sorry to hear that you read the Tribune. (shudder)
Just here to let you know, yes Heidi, the lawsuit you read about in the citizen tribune is in fact the same lawsuit that joe's blog is about concerning the 12 million lawsuit against cocke county! It was printed in the tribune Oct 25th but the plain talk didnt print it until Nov 12th, and they failed to inform thier readers that the female whom the deputy threw to the ground and caused her to be injured is not only disabled with a metal rod in her back, but she also only stands 5'2" tall and weighs a whopping 95lbs! BIG THREAT to a deputy 3 times her size! Huh? They were thier to make sure she was not dead but instead they made her a victim of excessive force! Sad But True!! I guess the newport plain talk didnt print all the facts because this is the deputies hometown newspaper! therfore they would be critisizing themselves!
ReplyDelete