|
Newsbrief:
Calling
Drug
Raid
on
Hell's
Angels
an
"Attack,"
Judge
Throws
Out
Evidence
12/10/04
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/366
/angels.shtml
When Arizona police conducted
a pre-dawn raid on a Hell's Angel's clubhouse in Phoenix in July 2003,
they knocked at the door, waited six seconds, then tossed a "diversionary"
grenade and broke a window at the back of the building. Clubhouse
resident Michael Wayne Coffelt, awakened from a sound sleep by the grenade
explosion, armed himself with a pistol before coming to the front door,
where he was then shot and wounded by Officer Laura Beeler, according to
an account published by the Associated Press. Beeler claimed Coffelt
had fired at her. He was charged with assaulting an officer.
The raid was illegal, said
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Wilkinson, who described it
as an "attack" that violated search and seizure laws. Wilkinson threw
out the evidence gathered in the raid in a December 1 hearing. As
for Coffelt arming himself to confront the attackers, Wilkinson said he
understood. "This would appear to be reasonable behavior, given the
hour and the fact that the house was under attack," he said.
Without any evidence, the
case against Coffelt appears doomed, although Maricopa County prosecutors
told the AP they had yet to decide whether to appeal. By the way,
it turns out Coffelt never fired a shot at Officer Beeler. Judge
Wilkinson generously qualified Beeler's lie as "an understandable mistake"
given the grenade explosion and resulting commotion.
Beeler was cleared of any
wrongdoing by a police review board. No word yet on whether she faces
assault or giving false statement charges. Don't hold your breath,
though. Oh, and by the way, the cops found no drugs.
-- END --
|
Issue #366
, 12/10/04
The
Perry
Fund
and
DRCNet
Go
to
Boston
|
DRCNet
Interview:
Whitney
Taylor,
Executive
Director,
Drug
Policy
Forum
of
Massachusetts
|
New
York
Legislators
Cut
Some
Rockefeller
Sentences,
But
Real
Reform
Remains
Elusive
|
Hurwitz
Fate
in
Hands
of
Jury
|
Rep.
Souder
Urges
FDA
Review
of
Medical
Marijuana,
Provokes
Battle
of
The
"Dear
Colleague"
Letters
on
Capitol
Hill
|
Newsbrief:
No
Justice
for
Kenneth
Walker
--
Police
Shooter
No-Billed
By
Grand
Jury
|
Newsbrief:
Calling
Drug
Raid
on
Hell's
Angels
an
"Attack,"
Judge
Throws
Out
Evidence
|
Newsbrief:
This
Week's
Corrupt
Cop
Story
|
Newsbrief:
Peruvian
Coca
Growers
Mobilizing
Again
|
Newsbrief:
Hawaii
Medical
Marijuana
Arrests
Settled
With
$30,000
Pay-Out
|
Newsbrief:
Jimson
Weed
Now
Illegal
in
Oklahoma
|
This
Week
in
History
|
Apply
Now
to
Intern
at
Drcnet!
|
Drugwarmarket.Com
Seeking
Information,
Affiliations,
Link
Exchanges
|
The
Reformer's
Calendar
|
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