When the Gestapo comes knocking....

[violatedinvernon]

I would like to respond to the press release, Knock, Knock, it's the Police which states that there was a grow op in my home which was dismantled. My family purchased our dream home on Middleton Mtn. and moved in mid-November. We love the neighbourhood! So as we sat in our living room on a regular quiet Sunday morning, enjoying our coffee and burning some incense and candles as we often do, we noticed two police officers walking down the street toward our home. They felt the hood on our truck and we noticed that they were at the ready to draw their weapons. My spouse proceeded to anser the door, as we had no fear of the police and wished to be of any assistance, if we could. They told us that they were looking for the former resident of our home. We informed them that we had just moved into the house and did not know the guy, except that we were still receiving his mail. One of the officers insisted that he smelled marijuana, and we told him that we had been burning some incense and candles and wished them luck in catching up with the former owner who had done a violent home invasion. He insisted that I was a liar. The police then left and, as I found out later, had apprehended the former owner about an hour later. His story did not make the news! A few hours later the original officers and about ten others showed up at our home to execute a search warrant for Production of a Controlled Substance. the news story claims that the two officers smelled vegatative marijuana. I do not not what that smells like, but we certainly won't be burning any more incense. I was gently shoved out of my house into the front yard, with my spouse, two children, 14 and 17, and their friend. We were detained out in the cold while they searched through our home, looking for evidence of a grow op! With exception to the original attending officer, the police were compassionate, and the female officer tried to get us into our living room as soon as she could as my son and spouse were both in their pajamas, and it was a chilly night. They claimed to find evidence of a dismantled grow op. I did my due dilligence in hiring a home inspector for $400 before I bought the home, to ensure that the house was safe and worry free. Nothing in his report or our subsequent conversation indicated even the possibility that there was a grow op in our home. From what I have read on the Vernon police's own website, there should have been mold, high humidity, high utility bills (our previous month's Hydro was $45) and a bunch of other signs. the electrical had not been tampered with, as I asked one of the officers doing the search. The original attending officer who had somehow convinced a judge that he smelled "vegatative marijuana" accused me of dismantling a grow op that day. I don't even have a house plant yet as Christmas and holidays had eaten up most of our time since we had moved. Our garage, which is not heated, was apparently where this grow op was. I am really not sure how any type of indoor plant could have survived in our freezing cold garage. The garage was vented, but I assumed that was to protect us from carbon monoxide as building code requires venting when a garage is located below a living area. There are two bedrooms directly above the garage. The original attending officer called us liars, and accused our kids of lying about the grow op. My kids are not liars. I have raised them to be leaders, to be honest, and to respect authority. They no longer have any respect for the police in Vernon as they couldn't believe the accusations against their parents. I could supply a list of twenty people or so who have visited our home since we moved in, that would be happy to testify that there was nothing in our garage to indicate that there was a grow op. We regularly have the kid's friends over for sleepovers and other parent's know that their children are safe and well looked after in our home. The accusing officer also told my kids that they did not have to live here and tolerate mom and dad's illegal activity! Wow! My oldest son has been staying with his aunt since the search and feels uncomfortable in his own home. My youngest son is scared because he has now seen what the police are capable of and seen his parents accused of lying by the police, been himself accused, and says that the house doesn't feel comfortable and cozy anymore. He has also been staying over at a friend's. This officer, rather than admitting mistake, has chosen to claim that I dismantled this grow op so he doesn't appear foolish. If they had cared to investigate properly, they would have seen, firstly that my spouse's truck was not registered to the former owner, and secondly that neither me or my spouse, or my children had ever been involved in any criminal activity. If they had bothered to look at our Hydro costs, this would have also been a pretty strong indicator that there was not a grow op. Is it possible that the violent home invader that used to live here, which is why they came to our door in the first place, could have been the one responsible for having this alleged grow op(although it is stated as a fact in their press release, it pretty much implies that we, the owner's, are the ones who are responsible for this). This has caused our family a great deal of embarassment, and we feel humiliated and scared. Next time we won't answer the door when the police come knocking. I no longer feel any obligation to be helpful with the police. Before Sunday, I had never even had a bad experience with the police, but I am new to the Okanagan and perhaps this is quite normal here. I have heard a number of stories and now fear for the safety and security of my home. We felt like a German family in World War two times, detained in our yard while the police searched our home and falsely accused us. As a normal citizen, I felt helpless, humiliated, intimidated, and fearful of the police, who I always thought were there to help us. I don't know what, if any recourse, I have now. Was there a grow op in my home? And if so, has it devalued my home? The former owner indicated by his initials that there had never been a grow op here. Is it possible he was growing herbs and tomatoes? The police have managed to turn our dream home into a nightmare and I now worry that if it was a grow op that perhaps there is toxic mold here or structural damage. For all of you that indicated you were happy about this story, put yourself in our place and see how happy you are then!

[gardengirl]

Have you contacted a Lawyer?

[violatedinvernon]

Yes. We have retained a lawyer for the criminal defense, but feel like we may have a civil case. In that case we need a separate lawyer. I do fear the consequences of going after the police though, and would settle for an apology.

[toughnut]

Have you contacted a Lawyer?

Seek a lawyer for sure and I wish you would have named that dispicable Human being thats mascurading as a Vernon RCMP officer.What a p$iss poor excuse for a police man.this story just makes me so furious I could scream out load.There is no excuse for this shoddy policing events in this day and age. NONE

[toughnut]

Yes. We have retained a lawyer for the criminal defense, but feel like we may have a civil case. In that case we need a separate lawyer. I do fear the consequences of going after the police though, and would settle for an apology.

crimminal defence? what are you talking about? what crime,s were u charged with?? this is way too bizzare if u were charged in any way shape or form.This is sick sick police work

[toughnut]

If I were u I would print this article in the morning star news and name the cops whom offended you.I will gladly help pay for the ad plus I would get a hold of global news and have them do a story.Its time to rid our town of Bad policing.I have seen it way too many times and its not getting any better.

[imahoser]

I read this article recently, and my only thought was *bleep* is vegetative marajuana? I can't imagine how you feel as Ive never been in your shoes, but I can imagine how something like that can distort the relationship you have with your "home". I also have experienced a form of injustice with vernon police, and have witnessed a beating in another city.

Im on your side!
only thing to do is get a couple lawyers and have no fear.

[toughnut]

Yes. We have retained a lawyer for the criminal defense, but feel like we may have a civil case. In that case we need a separate lawyer. I do fear the consequences of going after the police though, and would settle for an apology.

you forgot to mention this in the original story?
"A bag of Marijuana was located inside the residence."

whats this all about.How much?

[gardengirl]

I would like to know about that as well...

[violatedinvernon]

the bag of marijuana that was found in the home was not the type anyone would smoke...the fellow who left it here referred to it as "shake"...not really sure what that is but we stuck it in a drawer last June or so so the kid's wouldn't find it and figured we would burn it in a fire or something later and completely forgetting about it...just so people know, there was no evidence found of any "real" marijuana or grow op equipment which the accusing officer swore an oath that he would find in our house...half of the attending officers left shortly after arriving as it was apparent to them that they were wasting their time...but "Dudley Doright" and his reputation was on the line as he was the one who initiated the warrant, felt that there was evidence that he was right about the grow op and I believe would have done anything to convince his fellow officers that one was there...I really don't understand how he convinced a judge to sign this warrant based on his super inaccurate sense of smell!

[Captain Awesome]

I'm quite sure shake IS real marijuana.

[toughnut]

the bag of marijuana that was found in the home was not the type anyone would smoke...the fellow who left it here referred to it as "shake"...not really sure what that is but we stuck it in a drawer last June or so so the kid's wouldn't find it and figured we would burn it in a fire or something later and completely forgetting about it...just so people know, there was no evidence found of any "real" marijuana or grow op equipment which the accusing officer swore an oath that he would find in our house...half of the attending officers left shortly after arriving as it was apparent to them that they were wasting their time...but "Dudley Doright" and his reputation was on the line as he was the one who initiated the warrant, felt that there was evidence that he was right about the grow op and I believe would have done anything to convince his fellow officers that one was there...I really don't understand how he convinced a judge to sign this warrant based on his super inaccurate sense of smell!

Ok I can understand that explanation although not sure why u would have put it in a drawer?and not simply flushed it down the chitter. But why have you hired a crimminal lawyer?
sounds like this Dudley Doright is about as bright as a 2 watt bulb based on this story

[violatedinvernon]

I really didn't think it was real marijuana..it looks like hay or grass clippings...street value of $0.00 I'm sure...regardless, it did not belong to us....

[toughnut]

I really didn't think it was real marijuana..it looks like hay or grass clippings...street value of $0.00 I'm sure...regardless, it did not belong to us....

totally understand, dont understand why U kept it? nor have u explained why you hired a crimminal lawyer
If everything is as u say here here then there could not be any charges? what did we miss?
Iam 100% on your side just trying to undertsand the whole situation is all
Thanks

[gordon_as]

As a social experiment , I showed this thread to 3 different people who I knew were going to give me different opinions.

Friend #1 said : What an embarrassing mistake the Police made. I hope you sue them.

Friend #2 said : f 'n pigs . "Smelled vegetative MJ" , what a load of crap , when are they gonna stop using that weak excuse to conduct and illegal search , or get a warrant from a gullible judge.

Friend #3 said : Good call on taking apart your grow op before the cops came back. Probably shouldn't set it back up again until the neighbour who complained to the cops moves away. Sucks that you forgot about the bag you stashed in the drawer. Pretty creative of the cops to pretend to be at your door looking for someone else.