THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603130007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
A lawsuit filed in federal court last week chillingly recalls four raids conducted by heavily armed Internal Revenue Service and Alcoholic Beverage Control Board agents on the morning of April 2, 1994.
The searches were conducted simultaneously: two at Jewish Mother restaurants, the others at the Virginia Beach homes of one of the restaurant owners and its general manager.
According to the lawsuit, about 15 armed agents brought police dogs to the home of manager Scotty Miller. There, in an interesting civics lesson for teenagers, the agents broke up Mr. Miller's 15-year-old daughter's slumber party while holding Miller at gunpoint as he emerged dripping from the shower. Miller further alleges in the lawsuit that he was not allowed to telephone his attorney while the agents were tearing apart his house.
Meanwhile, at the restaurants, diners were forced to show identification and had eating utensils yanked from their hands when they didn't move quickly enough for the men with badges.
The federal and state agents departed the four locations with a truckload of confiscated equipment and papers. Five months later the goods were returned, the investigation was concluded and no charges were filed.
No apologies were issued, either.
Apparently the raids were conducted with search warrants based on the sworn testimony of a former Jewish Mother employee. Why the agents relied on the veracity of this disgruntled woman has yet to be explained. She was later convicted of embezzling money from a North Carolina restaurant and is facing embezzlement and forgery charges in Virginia Beach.
But it is the bully-boy behavior of these government agents that is most troubling. Such scenes have no place in Virginia law enforcement. The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, has come under attack in recent years. But over-zealous actions like the ones described in this lawsuit should remind us of the infinite wisdom of the founding fathers when they crafted the Bill of Rights.
Alawsuit filed in federal court last week chillingly recalls four raids conducted by heavily armed Internal Revenue Service and Alcoholic Beverage Control Board agents on the morning of April 2, 1994.
The searches were conducted simultaneously: two at Jewish Mother restaurants, the others at the Virginia Beach homes of one of the restaurant owners and its general manager.
According to the lawsuit, about 15 armed agents brought police dogs to the home of manager Scotty Miller. There, in an interesting civics lesson for teenagers, the agents broke up Mr. Miller's 15-year-old daughter's slumber party while holding Miller at gunpoint as he emerged dripping from the shower. Miller further alleges in the lawsuit that he was not allowed to telephone his attorney while the agents were tearing apart his house.
Meanwhile, at the restaurants, diners were forced to show identification and had eating utensils yanked from their hands when they didn't move quickly enough for the men with badges.
The federal and state agents departed the four locations with a truckload of confiscated equipment and papers. Five months later the goods were returned, the investigation was concluded and no charges were filed.
No apologies were issued, either.
Apparently the raids were conducted with search warrants based on the sworn testimony of a former Jewish Mother employee. Why the agents relied on the veracity of this disgruntled woman has yet to be explained. She was later convicted of embezzling money from a North Carolina restaurant and is facing embezzlement and forgery charges in Virginia Beach.
But it is the bully-boy behavior of these government agents that is most troubling. Such scenes have no place in Virginia law enforcement. The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, has come under attack in recent years. But over-zealous actions like the ones described in this lawsuit should remind us of the infinite wisdom of the founding fathers when they crafted the Bill of Rights. by CNB