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10.08.2014

No criminal charges in botched police raid that injured baby

Bou "Baby Bou Bou" Phonesavanh was seriously injured when a flash grenade was thrown in his crib.


You've got to be kidding me. Remember that botched drug raid in Georgia, where police tossed a flash grenade into a crib, severely injuring a baby? A grand jury has declined to press any criminal charges against police.

Grand jury: No charges in drug raid that injured baby

Bou "Baby Bou Bou" Phonesavanh was hospitalized in May after members of Habersham County's Mountain NCIS Team, looking for a suspected drug dealer, threw a flash grenade into the playpen where the he was sleeping. The child's family, originally from Wisconsin, was staying at the home with a relative.

This week, a grand jury determined that while the team is guilty of shitty police work, there was "no evidence of criminal intent or criminal negligence" on the part of the officers. Really?

The grand jury said that while the drug investigation was "hurried, sloppy, and unfortunately not in accordance with the best practices and policies", they fond "no evidence of criminal intent or criminal negligence on the part of any law enforcement officer involved."

The grand jury wrote, "Some of what contributed to this tragedy can be attributed to well-intentioned people getting in too big a hurry, and not slowing down and taking enough time to consider the possible consequences of their actions."

A family spokesperson, Marcus Coleman, said the raid wasn't simply the result of sloppy police work, it was a crime, in his opinion.

"This family does not deserve the tragedy that they've experience," Coleman said. "This little child his injuries and his ongoing medical procedures, and there's nobody to be held accountable."

No criminal negligence? What about the fact that you blew a hole into a kid? On top of all this, the Phonesevanh family has racked up more than a million dollars in medical bills which the county recently said it would not pay for. Where is the accountability? How about some justice? Because this is not it.

More here: No charges for officers in botched drug raid that disfigured toddler