This one came over the transom today, and I have to admit I was NOT aware this had even happened…
From the Cleveland Scene Mag…
Cops Confiscate Lakewood Lady’s Arsenal; Motive Pending
Posted by Kyle Swenson
Francesca Rices’ home arsenal including handguns, shotguns, a sniper rifle — plus a Thompson sub-machine gun were confiscated WITHOUT HER KNOWLEDGE by the Lakewood Police LAST SEPTEMBER!!!
It appears they asked an obliging employee of the complex to open up the apartment without her consent. Once inside, they raided the gun rack, making off with 13 firearms worth around $15,000. The only problem: They had no apparent reason to.
When Rice kindly asked to have her toys returned, the cops acknowledged that the weapons were legally owned. But they refused to return them without a court order. And so Rice has filed suit in Lakewood Municipal Court.
So, basically a year later, and untold $$ later, this lady STILL does not have her weapons back…
And an oh by the way, the lady is a VETERAN!!!
You can read the entire story HERE…
My first question is who told the police what she had? Did the proverbial nosy neighbor make a complaint? Did a cop on patrol see her taking gun cases in?
And what happened to the 4th Amendment here?
The takeaway is make SURE your guns are secured, a safe, a lockable cabinet, etc. Now if you’re one of those ‘loony tunes’ that actually has guns accessible (one in each room), or something crazy like that, I’d make sure they are well concealed (in addition to being readily available).
For any of you from Cleveland area, have you heard of this, or anything relating to this??? Makes me wonder if I want to actually bring any of my ‘good’ guns to the shoot this weekend…
Is this one of the first ‘shots’ in the “Federal Families” new regulations, since they can’t legislate gun bans? Is this a defacto act under the new DHS homegrown terrorist action???
And what if they want her to produce sales receipts for the guns? How many of you have guns you have no receipts for? Family guns, private sales??? What do you do then?
Time to take a hard look at how we store our weapons, and maybe relook at house vs. apartment living… Just sayin…
I’d freaking have everyone involved arrested for theft….. oh wait… they won’t arrest their own.
They are above the LAW.
@Matt: Then we can only pray & hope that a judge will find the entire series of actions unConstitutional, and that he/she would order the offending officers arrested, and find the entire department in contempt. Damages? In the multiple millions!
This is the sort of thing that needs to be answered LOUD & CLEAR, or it WILL escalate – on both sides, I fear.
A year ago, III-pers across the country were asking what the trigger would be. I fear we’ve seen several triggering events, recently.
The problem with that is when the entire DOJ is completely corrupt, ignores Congress when they choose, have a president that enforces and ignores the laws as it suits him… why in the world would a police department choose to obey a Judge?
The precedent has already been set.
BTW this is the reason I don’t advertise on my blog or to my neighbors what I may or may not have in regards to weaponry.
Unless said police thugs serve time for theft then nothing has really happened.
Isn’t it interesting the police did this while she was not at home?
The maintenance staff at most condo’s have door keys for emergencies. Might be worthwhile to change your locks and take your chances.
And when are the rank and file police going to start protecting the public by refusing to do actions they know, or should know, are illegal?
Civil suit against the apartment management?
Not good at all. Hope she gets them back with enough compensation to buy more!
Civil suit for the apartment management and same with the cops. No warrant, no probable cause. As far as I know Ohio hasn’t put the kibosh on the 4th Amendment like they have here in Indiana.
Didn’t work that way when I was in law enforcement here in Ohio years ago…
Just sign me…
Dann in (we don’t need no stinkin’ warrants) Ohio
You saw where mine were, but am SERIOUSLY thinking of moving them to a ‘safe’-er place!
Nope, I think I’ll just sell them all or give them away tomorrow! Come and get them everyone. Should be gone by noon. Then when the DHS finally gets here all they will get is the shelves and racks. OBTW Jim, they still haven’t shown up yet!
Matt- True… dammit
Rev- Yep, otherwise you are correct.
Matt- Good point.
WSF- I don’t think they will, they want to keep their jobs.
Ed- I’d think that would be possible, especially if there was no search warrant.
Julie- Agreed!!!
MC- I didn’t realize it was that bad in Indiana!
Dann- But you were a ‘responsible’ LEO… today, not so much…
Ev- I’d ‘move’ em… Just sayin… and it’s interesting that nobody has shown up yet 🙂
I believe in no advertising, I don’t tell people unless I really know that I have assorted weapons. My son doesn’t know what I have, kids talk and I don’t want somebody hearing it 5th hand and calling down ” da man” because in this political climate, you are guilty unless proven innocent.
I guess Ima ‘loony tunes’.
Never more than two steps.
“Hey, forget it Jake, It’s ChinaWood” (or something like that). We’ll talk Friday.
NFO–until January when the legislature comes back into session to do something, the Indiana Supreme court has declared that a person has no right to resist an UNLAWFUL entry by a police officer into their house.
So pretty much the 4th Amendment as well as part of the Indiana constitution are invalid right now.
Qualified immunity sucks, plain and simple!!!
I have some documentation for all my private sale guns. At least a Bill of Sale.
I think…
It’d take them a while to either move my safe (bolted to my concrete foundation, or open it (the dealer said if I lost the combo, it’d have to go back to the factory to open without a torch.
Rule of Thumb: Don’t telegraph your punches or your firearms ownership.
And as I’ve said publicly on-line, I’m disarmed, helpless and friendless.
There are states such as Montana, Texas, Idaho and Arizona where this sort of outrage would have resulted in mobs carrying torches, pitchforks and staves surrounding the police station. Apparently that’s not true in America’s Heartland.
Scary … just plain scary. And the comment by Midwest Chick that, at least in Indiana, “a person has no right to resist an UNLAWFUL entry by a police officer into their house” is even more frightening.
I certainly hope the NRA is helping this woman (a veteran, no less!). If it was marijuana that was seized without a warrant I’m sure the ACLU would be all over it, but since it’s firearms I don’t expect much from them.
Just another example of ‘I love my country but I fear the government.’
I hope she wins. And I hope she sues the stuffing out of the apartment complex.
Mr G.- Agreed! I’ll have to admit some of my friends DO know what I have, but they live far, far away 🙂
Skip- 🙂
Les- Yep
MC- THAT truly sucks!!!
Danny- Agreed!
Crucis- Agreed, but ‘family’ guns?
LL- Yep Mee tooo 🙂 Hell, in Texas, I know some cops that would be LEADING the lynching party!
Tim- Yep
Andy- Agreed!
My neighbors have no idea I have any thing in here. I load the truck in the garage with the door closed and unload it the same way. I’m just the geeky gal with glasses that works weird hours.
this is a story about an escaped mental patient more than anything. heres the police report prior to them taking the guns.
WRITTEN REPORT By: 2P206
would like us to check to see if francesca rice in apt #709
is there. female is entered missing involuntary out of the
va hospital and they have a signed certificate from a
doctor stating she is a danger to herself or others and can
be taken back to the va hospital against her will due to
her mental and emotional status.
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