Law & Crime
A federal jury in Alabama awarded $1 million in damages to a couple over an illegal raid executed on their home by sheriff’s deputies several years ago which ultimately left the two of them destitute and cast out by their own community.
The raid took place on Jan. 31, 2018, when deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office went to serve civil court papers to Greg and Teresa Almond at their home in Woodland, Alabama, according to court documents. Greg Almond was not home at the time, but his wife told the deputies to come back in about two hours.
A deputy at the house said he smelled marijuana and a drug task force was convened and returned to the couple’s home a few hours later without ever obtaining a warrant to search the home.
“After kicking in the door, one of the members of the drug task force threw a ‘shock’ explosive device inside the residence. Greg Almond, who was in route to open the door of the residence, was injured when the explosive device blew up at his feet,” the complaint stated. “Both Greg and Teresa were then forcibly thrown to the floor. The house was ransacked.”
Deputies ended up recovering a total amount of marijuana that had a street value of about $50 or less, the complaint states. Authorities also made the Almonds open two safes containing more than 80 firearms, jewelry, about $8,000 in cash, and prescription medications, including a single Lunesta pill that was outside of the bottle prescribed to Greg Almond.
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Couple awarded $1M for bogus raid that led to $50 worth of pot and 1 pill of Lunesta
