Pubdate: Wed, 11 Oct 2000
Source: Tennessean, The (TN)
Copyright: 2000 The Tennessean
Contact:  1100 Broadway, Nashville TN 37203
Fax: (615) 726-8928
Website: http://www.tennessean.com/
Author: Warren Duzak

2 MORE OFFICERS PLACED ON LEAVE FOR THEIR PART IN BOTCHED DRUG RAID

LEBANON -- Two additional police officers have been placed on 
administrative leave after being involved in a misdirected drug raid in 
which a homeowner was shot to death, Lebanon Police Chief Bill Weeks said 
yesterday.

Lt. Steven Nokes and Officer Tommy Maggort were suspended for their roles 
this week in the misidentification of a home targeted in a search warrant 
for drugs.

John Adams, 64, was shot and killed about 10 p.m. Oct. 4 when officers 
burst into his home and, according to police, Adams fired a shotgun at 
them. Police were supposed to raid the home next door.

The Lebanon Police Department has suffered from the ill-planned raid, and 
it is important to restore its credibility, but gaining public trust is not 
as easy as losing it, Weeks said.

"The only way to do that is to earn it, and we fully intend to do that,'' 
Weeks said.

Weeks said Nokes is the supervisor of the department's Narcotics 
Investigation Unit, and has worked for the Lebanon Police Department for 
about 10 years. Weeks described Nokes as a "highly educated and skilled 
individual."

Maggort was a case officer with that unit, the chief said. Maggort has been 
a Lebanon police officer for about three years and is considered a 
well-trained and excellent officer, Weeks added.

Both were involved in pre-raid surveillance designed to document the 
location of a home an informant previously entered to make a drug buy.

Both were part of the team of seven officers involved in the raid. Both 
have good performance records, Weeks said.

Police Officers Greg Day and Kyle Shedran, who were not involved in the 
preparatory surveillance but entered the home and fired the fatal shots, 
were placed on administrative leave immediately after the shooting.

Although the two homes are distinctively different at close range, Weeks 
said indications are that the angle of surveillance led to the mistake.

The search warrant that the team of seven officers had that night had the 
correct address but incorrectly contained a description of the Adams house.

Adams was at home with his wife, Lorine, who said police did not identify 
themselves when they knocked and she asked who was at the door. The door 
was kicked in when Lorine Adams did not open it.

Police said officers are trained to identify themselves in all but the most 
dangerous situations, and Lebanon officials said the officers did identify 
themselves that night.

In fairness to both the department and the community, the suspensions were 
necessary pending the outcome of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigations probe 
and an internal investigation into Adams' death, Weeks said.
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