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Really? That was enough to obtain a warrant?http://newstome.blog.ajc.com/2014/10...ges-meth-find/
Man killed by cops after car thief alleges meth find
A Georgia man was killed by police executing a search warrant obtained after a car thief told police he stole methamphetamine from the dead man’s vehicle, media reports say.
According to WMAZ in Macon, the car thief broke into a pickup truck in Laurens County, near Dublin, and stole some items on the night of Sept. 22 or the predawn hours of Sept. 23.
The thief then stole an SUV from the home, a Lincoln Aviator, and drove to Dublin, according to police.
The homeowner, David Hooks, a 59-year-old grandfather and businessman, reported the missing SUV.
At about 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 24, police arrested Rodney Garrett, who admitted stealing the SUV and said the 20 grams of meth police found on him were not his, but had been stolen from Hooks’ pickup truck.
Would police believe such a story?
Apparently so, because at 10 p.m. the same day Laurens deputies got a non-attorney deputy magistrate to sign off on a search warrant, according to Mitchell Shook, the attorney representing the Hooks family.
An hour after getting the search warrant, Shook said David Hooks’ wife saw camouflaged men in her yard with guns and told her husband.
David Hooks’ final act was to arm himself with a shotgun.
“The [deputies] broke down the back door of the family’s home and entered, firing an excessive sixteen shots. There is no evidence that David Hooks ever fired a weapon,†said Shook, who also says the warrant did not have a “no-knock†clause and therefore required law enforcement to identify themselves.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting but said it would make no comment until the investigation is complete, says The Macon Telegraph.
The sheriff’s department also refuses comment.
Police searched the home for 44 hours and found no drugs, says Shook, who says the “true facts of this tragedy are in stark contrast to … reports released by law enforcement.â€
Shook told the Macon Telegraph that Hooks owns a construction company that does work on military bases and has passed background checks by state and federal authorities.
“This is not a person who needs to be involved in criminal activity for financial gain. He did very well financially,†Shook said.
A Georgia man was killed by police executing a search warrant obtained after a car thief told police he stole methamphetamine from the dead man’s vehicle, media reports say.
According to WMAZ in Macon, the car thief broke into a pickup truck in Laurens County, near Dublin, and stole some items on the night of Sept. 22 or the predawn hours of Sept. 23.
The thief then stole an SUV from the home, a Lincoln Aviator, and drove to Dublin, according to police.
The homeowner, David Hooks, a 59-year-old grandfather and businessman, reported the missing SUV.
At about 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 24, police arrested Rodney Garrett, who admitted stealing the SUV and said the 20 grams of meth police found on him were not his, but had been stolen from Hooks’ pickup truck.
Would police believe such a story?
Apparently so, because at 10 p.m. the same day Laurens deputies got a non-attorney deputy magistrate to sign off on a search warrant, according to Mitchell Shook, the attorney representing the Hooks family.
An hour after getting the search warrant, Shook said David Hooks’ wife saw camouflaged men in her yard with guns and told her husband.
David Hooks’ final act was to arm himself with a shotgun.
“The [deputies] broke down the back door of the family’s home and entered, firing an excessive sixteen shots. There is no evidence that David Hooks ever fired a weapon,†said Shook, who also says the warrant did not have a “no-knock†clause and therefore required law enforcement to identify themselves.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting but said it would make no comment until the investigation is complete, says The Macon Telegraph.
The sheriff’s department also refuses comment.
Police searched the home for 44 hours and found no drugs, says Shook, who says the “true facts of this tragedy are in stark contrast to … reports released by law enforcement.â€
Shook told the Macon Telegraph that Hooks owns a construction company that does work on military bases and has passed background checks by state and federal authorities.
“This is not a person who needs to be involved in criminal activity for financial gain. He did very well financially,†Shook said.
http://www.macon.com/2014/10/01/3338...lems.html?rh=1
Attorney alleges ‘invalid’ warrant led to Laurens deputies killing East Dublin man
Family members of an East Dublin man shot and killed by Laurens County deputies are breaking their silence about what happened.
An attorney representing David Hooks’ widow said Wednesday the shooting did not go down as law enforcement authorities stated in initial news releases, and the “true facts of this tragedy are in stark contrast†to official accounts.
Authorities have said that Hooks came to the door of his home with a shotgun after deputies serving a drug search warrant knocked on the door and repeatedly announced, “sheriff’s department, search warrant.â€
Hooks allegedly pointed the gun at the deputies, who ordered him to put it down. Instead he pointed the gun at deputies in a more aggressive manner, authorities said.
Vidalia attorney Mitch Shook, who is representing Hooks’ family, called the search warrant “invalid.†He said deputies did not have enough probable cause but rather took the word of an informant, who was arrested in connection with a burglary at Hooks’ property two days before the fatal raid.
“It’s a true tragedy,†Shook said. “It’s hard to imagine how this could happen to these people who have been married 25 years.â€
According to the family attorney’s account, Hooks was asleep when armed deputies arrived at his house at 1184 Ga. 319 just before 11 p.m. Sept. 24. His wife, Teresa, was upstairs in her craft room when she heard a car drive fast up the driveway, and she looked out the window.
“She saw several men all in black and camo with hoods on,†Shook said. “She ran downstairs, woke David and said, ‘The burglars are back.’ â€
Hooks retrieved a gun and headed out of the bedroom as the officers broke down the back door, Shook said. He said Hooks was not wounded at the door but behind a wall in his house.
“They may have seen him with a weapon, but it appears at that point in time it was chaos,†Shook said. “They were shooting everywhere. There’s a lot more to it than law enforcement has reported.â€
He believes deputies fired 16 to 18 shots from multiple guns and assault rifles. Shook also questioned the wisdom of serving the warrant so late at night.
The GBI is investigating the shooting, as is customary when officers are involved in wounding or killing a suspect.
The GBI has conducted an autopsy, but the report is not complete pending additional testing, said Sherry Lang, a GBI spokeswoman. She said she would not release any additional details until the investigation is complete.
Laurens County Sheriff Bill Harrell indicated last week his department would not be releasing any information beyond the initial news release. He also did not immediately return Wednesday’s inquiries concerning the attorney’s allegations.
Shook is calling on the sheriff to suspend all the deputies who took part in serving the warrant.
Shook alleges the man arrested in a burglary at the Hooks’ property Sept. 22 claimed he took methamphetamine, a digital scale and firearms from a car during the burglary.
Shook said the GBI did not find any contraband in the 44 hours they held Hooks’ property after the shooting.
Shook said Hooks was a devoted husband and father, not a drug user or distributor. He had passed multiple background checks to work on military bases and was financially stable.
“This is not a person who needs to be involved in criminal activity for financial gain. He did very well financially,†Shook said.
His office is continuing its investigation and will await the GBI’s results before determining whether to file civil action or a wrongful death suit.
To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.
Family members of an East Dublin man shot and killed by Laurens County deputies are breaking their silence about what happened.
An attorney representing David Hooks’ widow said Wednesday the shooting did not go down as law enforcement authorities stated in initial news releases, and the “true facts of this tragedy are in stark contrast†to official accounts.
Authorities have said that Hooks came to the door of his home with a shotgun after deputies serving a drug search warrant knocked on the door and repeatedly announced, “sheriff’s department, search warrant.â€
Hooks allegedly pointed the gun at the deputies, who ordered him to put it down. Instead he pointed the gun at deputies in a more aggressive manner, authorities said.
Vidalia attorney Mitch Shook, who is representing Hooks’ family, called the search warrant “invalid.†He said deputies did not have enough probable cause but rather took the word of an informant, who was arrested in connection with a burglary at Hooks’ property two days before the fatal raid.
“It’s a true tragedy,†Shook said. “It’s hard to imagine how this could happen to these people who have been married 25 years.â€
According to the family attorney’s account, Hooks was asleep when armed deputies arrived at his house at 1184 Ga. 319 just before 11 p.m. Sept. 24. His wife, Teresa, was upstairs in her craft room when she heard a car drive fast up the driveway, and she looked out the window.
“She saw several men all in black and camo with hoods on,†Shook said. “She ran downstairs, woke David and said, ‘The burglars are back.’ â€
Hooks retrieved a gun and headed out of the bedroom as the officers broke down the back door, Shook said. He said Hooks was not wounded at the door but behind a wall in his house.
“They may have seen him with a weapon, but it appears at that point in time it was chaos,†Shook said. “They were shooting everywhere. There’s a lot more to it than law enforcement has reported.â€
He believes deputies fired 16 to 18 shots from multiple guns and assault rifles. Shook also questioned the wisdom of serving the warrant so late at night.
The GBI is investigating the shooting, as is customary when officers are involved in wounding or killing a suspect.
The GBI has conducted an autopsy, but the report is not complete pending additional testing, said Sherry Lang, a GBI spokeswoman. She said she would not release any additional details until the investigation is complete.
Laurens County Sheriff Bill Harrell indicated last week his department would not be releasing any information beyond the initial news release. He also did not immediately return Wednesday’s inquiries concerning the attorney’s allegations.
Shook is calling on the sheriff to suspend all the deputies who took part in serving the warrant.
Shook alleges the man arrested in a burglary at the Hooks’ property Sept. 22 claimed he took methamphetamine, a digital scale and firearms from a car during the burglary.
Shook said the GBI did not find any contraband in the 44 hours they held Hooks’ property after the shooting.
Shook said Hooks was a devoted husband and father, not a drug user or distributor. He had passed multiple background checks to work on military bases and was financially stable.
“This is not a person who needs to be involved in criminal activity for financial gain. He did very well financially,†Shook said.
His office is continuing its investigation and will await the GBI’s results before determining whether to file civil action or a wrongful death suit.
To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.
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