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7 years later...

TxsTxs Member Posts: 17,809 ✭✭✭
edited October 2001 in General Discussion
Jury Awards $40,000 For Guns Seized at MO Man's HomeSt. Louis Post-Dispatch10/19/2001A federal jury awarded $40,000 on Thursday to a businessman who complained that St. Louis police had refused to return 19 guns that detectives seized in a raid at his house seven years ago. The jury award, following more than four hours of deliberation in U.S. District Court downtown, was in favor of Walter Lathon in his suit against the St. Louis Police Board. Lathon, 71, runs a contracting business called the King of Concrete. No criminal charges were filed as a result of the raid Aug. 31, 1994, at Lathon's house in the 3000 block of Fair Avenue. Detectives seized the guns, including two semiautomatic shotguns known as "streetsweepers," other shotguns, rifles and handguns. Lathon sued the Police Board in 1998, after officials refused to return the weapons. There was no explanation in the trial of why Lathon's house was raided, although it appeared that police were interested in one of his relatives and not him. Lathon's lawyer, Gregory Fenlon, complained in court that police were wrong to keep weapons taken in raids when no charges resulted. Lathon eventually dropped his demand for return of the weapons, alleging that authorities damaged them, Fenlon said. In his closing argument Thursday, Fenlon had asked the eight-person jury to award Lathon $150,000 to $250,000.

Comments

  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    From what I've read, the cops in St. Louis have one of the worst records for corruption and misconduct in this country, although they don't garner the publicity they would in NYC or L.A. I also understand MO's anti-gun laws are ridiculous . . . add the two together & what can one expect?!
  • Bubba JoelBubba Joel Member Posts: 5,161
    edited November -1
    Some heads should have rolled over this one...$40,000.00 , it should have been triple the amount....
    I wouldn't mind being the last man on earth-just to see if all of those girls were telling me the truth....
  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Should have been a bunch more, but 40 grand less the shysters share will buy a lot of guns. Hmmm, maybe I could get them to raid my house.
    So many guns to buy. So little money.
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