Pubdate: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH) Contact: Website: http://www.dispatch.com/ Copyright: 1998 The Columbus Dispatch Author: Mike Lafferty, Dispatch Staff Reporter FATAL RAID ANGERS ATTORNEY, RESIDENTS 150 People Attend Forum In Belpre Critics say deputies overreacted when they killed a man during a drug raid in Belpre. BELPRE, Ohio -- The sentiments of angry residents who jammed into a local church this week to question tactics in a fatal sheriff's raid were echoed yesterday by the Washington County public defender. Janet Fogle McKim said she believes the Oct. 15 shooting death of 57-year-old retired school custodian Delbert Bonar in his rural home near Belpre is part of an ongoing overreaction of local police forces cracking down on illegal drug use. "I know people want to stop crime, but if we give up our civil liberties, none of us will have any civil liberties. We make a mistake in calling this a 'war on drugs,' '' she said yesterday, a day after law enforcement officials faced a meeting of more than 150 skeptical and angry citizens at a community forum. Officials took the unusual measure of hosting the forum because they said they feared inaccurate information about the raid was being disseminated in the community. McKim said authorities are frustrated about their inability to solve drug dependency -- a medical problem -- with police tactics. As a result, she said, privacy is diminished in the United States. Some judges are not rigorous enough in their review of search warrant requests and allow police to use "boiler plate'' descriptions to justify warrants, she said. In Delbert Bonar's case, the search warrant Washington County deputies executed at his home north of Belpre, 120 miles southeast of Columbus, was aimed at his son, Albert, 33. An informant had said deputies would find large quantities of marijuana and stolen weapons. Instead, they found an ounce or two of marijuana and no stolen weapons. The surprise nighttime entry prompted Delbert Bonar to grab an unloaded shotgun, point it at deputies and refuse to put it down, deputies said. Sgt. William Wilson and Capt. Chris Forshey shot him eight times. "There is absolutely no right of privacy left in your auto and very little left in your home,'' McKim said. But Sheriff Robert R. Schlicher said yesterday there are checks to protect citizens. "I believe very strongly in people's rights to live in neighborhoods free of drugs,'' he said. "I like restrictions placed on law enforcement. We have to go through so many checks and balances to obtain a search warrant.'' Albert Bonar has not been charged. He said he has smoked marijuana, but he denied selling it or possessing stolen guns. He has no previous record, authorities said. Forshey said he feared for his life the night of the raid. "I believed he was going to shoot one of the other (deputies) or myself,'' Forshey said Monday after the forum at St. Mark's Church. Bonar also may have been fearful, a feeling that could have been heightened by what friends and family members described as poor eyesight. "He wore thick lenses. If his glasses were off, he would see a blur,'' said Jenny McWilliams, a niece of Bonar's. Forshey declined to say whether Delbert Bonar was wearing his glasses when he was shot. At Monday's public forum, Schlicher and Prosecutor Michael Spahr faced the group of 150 residents with concerns about the way deputies handled the raid on Bonar's home. Ray Kidder, a neighbor of Delbert Bonar's, was one of a number of people at the meeting who believe Bonar thought he was defending his home. "Officers have to protect themselves, but when they go in, they must know that a person is going to defend his house,'' said Kidder, who added that many area residents legally own weapons. Many at the forum expressed concern with the number of times Delbert Bonar was shot. "I'm a combat veteran from Vietnam. We never wasted that many bullets on one guy over there,'' said Randy Sims of Belpre. Schlicher said deputies are trained to fire until the threat they face is eliminated. Schlicher said yesterday his department would continue to review the operation. - --- Checked-by: Richard Lake