Pubdate: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 Source: Times-News, The (ID) Copyright: 2001 Magic Valley Newspapers Contact: http://www.magicvalley.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/595 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) JEROME COUNTY TAXPAYERS COULD GET A MIGHTY BIG BILL Hang onto your wallets, Jerome County taxpayers, because a tidal wave of lawsuits is about to hit county government. Jerome County could end up drowning in debt if it loses any of these suits. That means you, dear taxpayers, could be forced to bail out your elected officials. The legal claims stem from a botched drug bust on Jan. 3 in Eden. Two Jerome County sheriff's deputies and an Eden homeowner were shot to death in a raid planned and led by Sheriff Jim Weaver. Relatives of all three dead men have filed a total of $17.4 million in tort claims against the county. Survivors of Eden homeowner Tim Williams have filed a $10 million claim; the parents of Cpl. Phillip Anderson are seeking $5 million; and the widow of Cpl. James Moulson is seeking $2.4 million. Unfortunately for Jerome County and its taxpayers, the county's insurance has a $2 million liability limit. Officials with the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program refuse to tell us if that's $2 million per claim, or $2 million per incident, or anything else about the policy. We're still awaiting an answer from Jerome County. Assuming that it's $2 million per claim, the county's insurance carrier might pay as much as $6 million -- leaving a gap of more than $11 million. If the liability limit is a flat $2 million, then the gap could exceed $15 million. At this point, no one knows how these three cases will play out. The county might prevail in some or all of them. Out-of-court settlements or jury awards might be less than what the plaintiffs are seeking. On the other hand, if Jerome County loses, it could get stuck with a multimillion-dollar bill that insurance won't cover. It's not an enviable situation for the county's taxpayers. It's worth remembering how Jerome County got into this mess. Using information from an unreliable informant, Sheriff Weaver conceived, planned and executed a drug raid within a matter of hours. He and his deputies kicked open the door of a man whom they knew to be: 1) armed; and 2) jumpy. State investigators later found a trifling amount of marijuana inside Williams' house. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been enough to take him to jail; he would have been issued a citation instead. Under normal circumstances, three men would not have died, and Jerome County wouldn't be facing more than $17 million in tort claims. Something went tragically wrong in Eden that night, but none of the survivors will own up to what happened. Now that the process is moving into civil court, Weaver and his undersheriff, Jocelyn Roberts, may be forced to talk to the plaintiffs' lawyers. The truth may still come out, but it's far more likely to be hidden in a confidential settlement. If that happens, Jerome County taxpayers will never know what hit them. They could wind up paying higher taxes to settle the claims, but they will never get the courtesy of an explanation. Weaver's supporters have attacked the media for questioning his role in the Eden fiasco. There's been a strong implication that to question the sheriff's actions is to oppose law enforcement. Now that Moulson's widow and Anderson's parents are questioning Weaver's leadership, will Weavers' supporters have the bad taste to denounce them as well? Moulson and Anderson's kin have buried men they loved. Now they are seeking accountability. Being tough on drugs and bullish on law enforcement is fine. But it's foolish to put blind faith in public officials whose mistakes could cost everyone. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager