Virginia Police Conducted ‘Military-Style’ Raid of 79-Year-Old Man’s Home After False Claim He Bought His Home with Drug Money, Lawsuit States

An aged Virginia man is suing officers from his native police division for $500,000 after they licensed and carried out an “aggressive and militarized raid” on his residence that they thought was the positioning of illicit drug exercise.

William Jennings, a 79-year-old resident of Virginia Seashore, filed a federal lawsuit in opposition to town’s police chief and dozens of cops concerned in a raid on his residence on Sept. 13, 2024.

In keeping with the grievance obtained by Atlanta Black Star, Virginia Seashore police obtained a warrant to look Jennings’ residence on suspicion of alleged drug exercise. The go well with states that the possible trigger for the warrant was based mostly on a variety of “jailhouse conversations between third events” that authorities didn’t corroborate or totally examine.

Jennings has no connection to any operations or actions linked to drug possession or distribution, in accordance with the go well with, but legislation enforcement appeared to erroneously believed that he bought his home with “drug cash,” though the 79-year-old acknowledged he legally purchased the house in 1979.

The go well with states that on the day of the raid, “officers arrived in armored automobiles, police cruisers, and even police boats, approaching the property from each land and sea,” and “with out warning, they launched a barrage of munitions, shattering home windows and damaging property.”

On the time, Jennings was residence with a visitor. A canine that was additionally within the residence was struck by one of many munitions officers’ launched, in accordance with the go well with. Jennings’ legal professional advised 13News Now that the canine suffered no everlasting accidents.

Jennings was ordered over a bullhorn and at gunpoint to stroll out of his residence barefoot, the go well with states. He walked over shattered glass, slicing his toes within the course of, earlier than being handcuffed and positioned behind a police automobile for hours as officers ransacked his residence.

In the course of the raid, legislation enforcement disabled exterior safety cameras and destroyed furnishings and extra of his belongings within the seek for nonexistent medicine. They seized electronics, monetary paperwork, ledgers, containers, and lawfully possessed medicines, however nothing linked to prison exercise of any sort.

No fees had been filed in opposition to Jennings.

“All the operation — waged in opposition to an aged, non-criminal citizen with nohistory of drug involvement — was an unconstitutional abuse of energy, carried out withoutreasonable suspicion or possible trigger,” the go well with reads. “Hundreds of taxpayer {dollars} had been wasted on this military-style assault on an harmless man’s residence.”

Jennings’ grievance alleges gross negligence, illegal search and seizure, and illegal arrest. It additionally claims the raid was an “unjustifiable present of power” that resulted in tens of hundreds of {dollars} in injury to his residence.

For the violation of his constitutional rights and emotional and psychological misery, Jennings is requesting a half-million {dollars} and different aid to be decided by a jury trial.