Less than two years ago, a jury awarded $15,000 to 68-year-old Jimmy Finley, a retired contractor with no police record, after Rogers Police Officer John Fry conducted an illegal search of his room at the Town and Country Motel in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It should have been a learning experience and a short course in constitutional law for the boys in blue. Apparently not.
This week, the Arkansas Municipal League (supported by city taxpayer funds) paid out $25,000 to David Robbins and Debra Steenblock, after the Arkansas Court of Appeals had ruled that Rogers Police Officers Jesse Ray, David Jones, and Jared Mason had ample time to obtain a warrant but didn't, then conducted an illegal late-night warrantless search of their home. The cops finally got a warrant five hours after they forcibly entered the home and hauled out the couple. It is supposed to work the other way around, fellows.
Rogers City Attorney Ben Lipscomb yesterday said, "We still contend that those officers didn't do anything wrong." Right, Ben. You sound like Alberto Gonzales.
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