[OG Kush]

On September 27, 2002, 23-year-old Clayton J. Helriggle of West Alexandria, Ohio, was shot and killed by police conducting a no-knock raid of his home in search of marijuana.

A convicted felon had informed Preble County prosecutors that Helriggle, who worked in his family's garage-door business, was dealing marijuana from his rural farmhouse, which also housed four other roommates.

Based on this tip, the nearly 30-member SWAT-style team, clad in body armor and riot shields, raided Helriggle's house on a Friday evening, using a battering ram to open the front door and detonating stun grenades to disorient the occupants of the house.

Helriggle had been napping in his bedroom that evening; when he heard noises from the raid, he grabbed a gun he kept in his room and went downstairs to see what was going on. An officer shot Helriggle and the 23-year-old died within minutes, slumped in roommate Ian Albert's arms, from a single shotgun wound to the chest.

Police eventually seized a small amount of marijuana, a bong, and rolling papers from the house. News reports also cite the seizure of "packaging items used in the distribution of marijuana" (plastic sandwich baggies found in most kitchens) and "pills" (a roommate's prescription pain medication for a knee injury).

Though Helriggle's roommates claimed he had been holding a plastic cup when he descended the stairs, not a gun, an investigation by a neighboring county's police force found that Helriggle had indeed been holding the 9 mm handgun found near his body after the shooting.

The Helriggle family later filed a civil suit against Preble County and 20 named individuals involved with the raid, for wrongful death and violation of Clayton Helriggle's civil rights.

Roommate Ian Albert noted that " … if [the police officers] would have come to the door and said, 'Give us your dope, hippies,' we'd have gotten about a $100 ticket." Another roommate had admitted to selling approximately one ounce of marijuana from the house each week, which led the police informant to tip off police about the farmhouse.

Under Ohio law, possession of less than 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of marijuana is considered a civil citation and brings only a $100 fine and no jail time or criminal record. Possession of between 100 and 200 grams of marijuana (3.5 to 7 ounces) is considered a misdemeanor but brings only a variable fine (around $250) and no jail time.


Newshawk: SX420 - 420Girls.com
Source: 420Times.com
Copyright: 2006 Marijuana Policy Project
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Website: http://www.mpp.org