Paradise Lost For Maui Couple After Police Mistakenly Raid Their Dinner Party

Chris | InformationLiberation
Jan. 16, 2012

Heavily armed Maui Police mistakenly raided a Maui couple in the middle of a dinner party.

The couple reportedly informed the police they got the wrong house, but the police insisted on searching their house nonetheless, leaving their furniture overturned and their house in a mess.

Keep in mind, the police allegedly conducted this search after they were informed they had the wrong house.

Maui News reports:
"When Norman Freeland touched the door, the men rushed into the Freelands' home without permission," the complaint alleges, adding that the officers did not "knock and announce" their presence as required by state law.

The officers "screamed and yelled" as they entered the home, grabbed Norman Freeland by the wrist and forced him and his wife outside, where they were held by a man carrying a "combat-type weapon," according to the complaint.

The men told the Freelands that they had a warrant but did not show it to them, according to the complaint. It also claims April Freeland told them that they were at the wrong house and pointed out that their address was clearly displayed on the outside fence and door. Still, the officers continued to detain them and searched the house for around 30 minutes, according to the complaint.

The officers "overturned furniture," "searched the Freelands' drawers" and "created a mess in the Freelands' home," according to the complaint.

[...]"Everyone is supposed to feel safe inside their home, and the one person who's supposed to protect you, the police, are the ones who invaded their home," he said. "They feel violated."
The police are predictably denying most of their allegations, claiming the police just committed "a very quick sweep of the house."

"If a chair got knocked down in the process of an entry, that might have happened, but it would not have been done purposely to damage any part of their home," said Deputy Corporation Counsel Moana Lutey.

I would ask Mrs. Lutey, how would she feel if heavily armed strangers invaded her home "mistakenly?"

Would she find solace in the fact they didn't intend to raid her home and terrorize her with guns drawn?

Keep in mind, this was not to stop a serial killer, this was to stop someone from voluntarily using and consuming plant matter for their personal enjoyment.

The Freeland's lawyer had these choice words for the police-thugs of the Maui Police Department.

"The chief of police and the county have to stand up, take responsibility and demand their police officers not behave as armed bullies ... We cannot tolerate or accept this kind of behavior. If citizens do not have the courage to stand up for their rights, they will lose them."

I couldn't agree more, though I believe reforming the police requires a fundamental transformation in the way policing is performed.

Image: Gerdbru, Wikicommons













All original InformationLiberation articles CC 4.0



About - Privacy Policy