CNHI News Service
ANDERSON, Ind. — A woman was left without a livable home Wednesday after the Anderson Police Department SWAT team used tear gas and other methods to try to coax out a fugitive who wasn't there.
Mary Williams said her rental home was destroyed after the SWAT raid, all the windows busted out and the lingering effects of at least 15 canisters of tear gas making it impossible to stay in the house for more than a few minutes.
I'm homeless," she said. "I don't have nowhere to stay. I don't have any clothes. My house is so destroyed, you would have thought I was a notorious drug dealer."
APD Sgt. Bill Casey said dispatchers received an anonymous tip Wednesday that suspected drug dealer Tracy Miller was hiding in Williams' home.
"We believe this guy was possibly armed," Casey said. It's the same guy that went into a place and robbed four women at gunpoint. We take those kind of things seriously."
Williams said when police knocked on her door about 6:45 p.m., she told them Miller was not in the residence. When officers asked if they could bring a canine into the home for a search, Williams gave them permission.
"I went outside across the street waiting for them to bring the canine," she said. "We stood out there for two hours. They waited until it was pitch dark, then started shooting off tear gas. They didn't bring out a canine unit."
Police disputed Williams' claim she had given them permission to search the house. Miller was not found in the home, and Williams is asking the city for restitution for her destroyed property. She plans to hire an attorney to pursue the case.
"I am going to sue them," she said. "I have to get something out of this. I'm not going to let this go because my life savings is destroyed.
City attorney Tim Lanane said under the Indiana Tort Claims Act, municipalities have immunity for acts taken under the name of the law.
CNHI News Service Originals
Related Photos
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The Anderson SWAT team shot several tear gas canisters through a dozen windows Wednesday night after receiving a tip that a suspect was at the home, but he wasn't and now the home needs costly repairs and tear gas still clings to the air in the home making it unbearable to stay inside for more than a few minutes. Don Knight / The Herald Bulletin
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August 10, 2009
Woman left homeless after SWAT raid
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