A jury has awarded $1 million to an Alabama couple who were left bankrupt and living in a cabin after deputies robbed them of thousands of dollars in a warrantless search of their home.
In January 2018, deputies from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office showed up at Gregory and Teresa Almond’s home in Woodland, Alabama, and served Greg with civil documents. reason magazine report. The deputy left and reported smelling marijuana.
Hours later, anti-drug squads began ransacking the couple’s home, breaking down the door and throwing a flash grenade that exploded at Greg’s feet.
Alabama State Police searched the home of Greg and Teresa Almond without a warrant in 2018 and seized a small amount of marijuana, as well as thousands of dollars in cash and other valuables. Six years later, a jury awarded the couple $1 million in damages. (St. Petersburg)
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“I feel confused and violated. I feel like the people who are supposed to serve you and protect you have essentially thrown a bomb into my lap,” Greg said. said in a statement. Why article in 2019.
Police found a marijuana plant, part of a joint, a glass pipe and several leaves. They also seized about $8,000 in cash, one Lunesta tablet, Greg’s gun collection and other valuables, according to media reports.
The Almonds’ son told authorities the marijuana was his, but his parents were charged with second-degree marijuana possession and felony possession of a controlled substance because Lunesta pills were found outside Greg’s prescription bottle. . Alabama Appleseed Law and Justice Center report.
The charges were later dropped, but without the seized money, the Almonds were unable to pay their mortgage and lost their home, according to case records. They moved into a cabin on the family’s property.
Alabama State Police collected about $2.2 million through civil asset forfeiture in 2015, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Appleseed Center. In a quarter of seizures, no charges are filed. (St. Petersburg)
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Police seized the couple’s money and belongings through a process known as . civil property confiscation;. It aims to punish criminal acts by depriving criminals of property used in or obtained through illegal activities.
But critics called it “legal theft” They say police and prosecutors often exploit this practice, taking innocent Americans’ money to fill their own coffers.
The Almonds filed a federal lawsuit alleging that police violated their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.
In January, a jury awarded Armons $1 million in punitive and compensatory damages.
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No one involved in the raid had a written search warrant. One representative testified that he spoke to the judge on the phone and believed she had executed a telephone search warrant, but the judge “vehemently denied that he did…” Until now According to the Alabama Court of Appeals, they “issued a warrant” (emphasis on their warrant).
“I started to distrust law enforcement at all levels,” Gregg previously told Reason. “I walk down the street and I see police and state troopers. I’m not doing anything wrong. It’s like an adrenaline rush. When I see them, my heart skips a beat.”
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
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Alabama law enforcement collected about $2.2 million through civil asset forfeiture in 2015, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Appleseed Center. A quarter of those seizures did not involve criminal charges. report found.
In 2019, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill requiring law enforcement and district attorneys to report all property seized and how much budget revenue was forfeited.
