Couple spends $25,000 to find out why police raided their home.

THE DARK STATE: Discarded tea leaves, false positive drug tests prompt search warrant of family home

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Wow, here's an interesting story out of Kansas. A couple, former CIA, had their house raided due to suspicion of narcotics. Nothing was found in the raid performed by Johnson County Sheriff's Office. What's really interesting here is what the couple had to do in finding out WHY they were raided.

The Hartes spent $25,000 hiring an attorney to fight to get access to the records. It took a year, but the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office eventually released the records. The Hartes were surprised by what they read.

Records showed on Aug. 9, 2011, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper observed a man leaving the Green Circle hydroponics store in Kansas City, Mo., in a KIA with his children and a small bag.

Bob said he had been to the store to get supplies for a science project he was working on with his son: a basement hydroponic garden.

Records show Johnson County deputies traced the tag number on the KIA observed by MHP to Bob and Addie Harte. On April 3, 2012, investigators visited the Harte’s home at 5 a.m. They went through the Harte’s trash and found wet plant material. At this time, investigators reported they didn’t know what it was so they failed to test it.

A week later, on April 10th, investigators returned to the home. Again, deputies searched through the trash. This time, when they found plant-like material, they performed a field test which indicated the substance was marijuana.

“Bob instantly said, ‘It's your tea!’ because I drink loose tea and those are saturated leaves,” said Addie, who told 41 Action News she often threw the leaves in the kitchen trash.

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO


They should spend another 25K to civilly sue for profiling and defamation being since it has reached the national stage, somewhat. If he can prove to be a big enough pain in the ass, they can maybe get their attorney's fees paid and be left alone. Or use their secret CIA skills to exact revenge, like Liam Neesons, LOL.

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO


They should have got a lawyer on legal aid

Very sad when buying something at a gardening store merits a police investigation.

reply to post by NavyDoc


I am actually afraid of travelling to the US in fear of being stopped by a cop on a bad day and being shot.

Maybe that is what it takes, a foreigner to be killed and draggging multiple embassies into this mess.

I stay far far away from the US and keep my money in my pocket.

Police Raided their House. The Lawyers raided their savings.

Its a lose-lose for the couple.



What A Wonderful World.....

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO

“This not what justice in the United States is supposed to be. You shouldn't have to have $25,000, even $5,000. You shouldn't have to have that kind of money to find out why people came raiding your house like some sort of police state,” Addie Harte said.

Amen.

And isnt that the gist of it?

The State comes down on the citizen like a ton of bricks. They have a literal army of cops, investigators, witnesses, laboratories, forensics etc., all at their disposal.

And guess whos paying for it? We are!

Thats right, we're funding our own PERsecutions.

And what about us?

Well, we dont have unlimited money. We have to go hire an attorney at $300/hour.

OR we can be assigned a public defender who couldn't care less.

VERY effed up system and yet we're told that its the "best system that the world has to offer".

Then the world is in a crap load of trouble.

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO


Now imagine if the LOCAL authorities can get away with this kind of tyranny, just what we are STILL not being told about the NSA, TSA, etc etc......

Very sad when buying something at a gardening store merits a police investigation. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by NavyDoc


Welcome to Police State America...where you are guilty until proven innocent and you have no rights. They should really just be relieved that neither they or their children were shot dead.

Merica....#1 for FREEDOM.

It's just yet another reason to end the drug war.
It's a great excuse for authorities to invade your privacy, no matter how scant the evidence, all justified in the war against drugs.
It's a war against citizens.

and THAT in a nut shell is why i have never gone into a hydroponics store, i've always suspected cops assume everyone going in is growing weed, and would track you down. it's a shame because i would have liked to grow veggies and stuff (even tho my thumb is blacker than used diesel oil, but i can still hope).

i wonder if they could go after the city for them not having reasonable cause since what started the ball rolling was due to shopping in a LEGAL store. could also try to go after the manufacturer and city for the false positive drug test. either there is something wrong with the test or those using it. if they can get them on the non probable cause, then they should next hit them with trespassing in their garbage, perhaps even illegal search and seizure from the same. they pushed him to the ground, so add assault as well. sue for defamation of their character since they made a huge public display raiding their house. child endangerment as there were children present during the raid. profiling since they were profiled as criminals for shopping at a certain store. sue for mental duress, especially with the kids, resulting from the raid. pretty much try to press charges for those involved, and sue the city and department for everything they can think of.

why the SWAT team? regardless of everything else, was he some Jason Bourne CIA operative that had a license to kill?

He is a family man, a gov't employee, and a tax payer. Why the SWAT team?

You know in that city the cops know the drug neighborhoods and drug houses. They can't just bust them because of unlawful search and seizure. You know they know...yet they do this to a family.

Honestly, if they thought it was a justified bust I dont have a problem with it, what I do have a problem with is sending the SWAT team.

reply to post by NavyDoc


When I lived in Portland Ore. there was a story in the news about a nursery store owner that owned two nurseries. He had both of his stores confiscated, because he put an ad. in high times advertising halogen light bulbs. This kind of thing has been going on for a long time. Is it right? No its not!

What ever happened to (innocent until proven guilty)?

It is getting harder and harder for me to defend police when thing like this happens. You are now assumed to be guilty at all times. What happened to due process and having evidence and having the fourth amendment. It is getting harder and harder to be a citizen here in America. They treat law ABIDING CITIZENS like criminals, then there are lawyers trying to get a 17 year old killer sentence reduced from life because he killed three class mates in Chardon Ohio because he is under 18 . Criminals get away with more than people who are not committing crime.

It is coming to a point to when we might hve to fight back.

God Bless what America used to be.