Raid on "antique gun collector" on 6-7-71

[Thin Black Line]

Anyone here familiar with the "Ballou case" from Silver Springs, MD which
was later covered in the Washington Post when he sued the local PD?

 

[nvshooter]

From 35 years ago? Might be hard to find info on something that far gone...

 

[Henry Bowman]

Ask John Ross or Travis McGee. They may have come across it in research for their writings.

 

[glummer]

What I recall:

Kenyon Ballew was a guy who had a few guns, militaria, etc.
Some anonymous tipster set him up, or gave the wrong address, or just said "the guy with the white jeep" – supposedly he had hand grenades.
Non-uniformed cops went to the back door (no windows) rather than uniforms out front and visible.
Door broken down (cops say the announced, Ballews say not so.)
Wife in kitchen, naked from shower, screams as apparent thugs break in.
Ballew exits shower, grabs his only available weapon (cap-and-ball revolver) and is shot, and paralyzed.
Cops find nothing but empty grenades shells (souvenir-novelty-paperweight type).
BATF tries to charge him with constructive possession (black powder + grenade shell + .22 cartridge + live grenade.) They don’t explain where you find the suicide bomb thrower to set it off, though.
I think he later sued; don’t know how successfully.

 

[glummer]

The suit:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/wbardwel/public/nfalist/ballew_v_us.txt

Hmmm. Doesn't exactly match the story at the time. Life is so damn messy.

 

[Thin Black Line]

Glummer, thanks. Will read the txt.

 

[TallPine]

Note to self: don't carry cap and ball revolver in the shower.

 

[jselvy]

could someone post a summation of the text. Legalese make my nose bleed.

Jefferson

 

[Thin Black Line]

From the testimony of the witness Scroggie (called as
an expert by the government) and from an examination of the
exhibits themselves, including photographs of various tests
conducted by the government, this Court finds that these three
grenades together with the powder seized were in combination both
designed and intended to be used as destructive devices. Although
these grenades could not have been exploded as found, they could
have been fully activated merely by adding either the black powder
or the smokeless powder likewise seized in plaintiff's apartment on
June 7, 1971.

"Scroggie"? Scroggie?!

This bizarre ruling is only out done by this case being mentioned in the
CIA's so-called "Family Jewels" on page 00634.

 

[ptmmatssc]

Lol , I read it and what got me was the fact that it was the 3RD officer that actually stopped and took aim . The whole time , this guy didn't fire a single shot , that is , until he himself was shot and falling down (spasm?) . Didn't read anywhere that any of the officers told him to "drop it" . Just started shooting .

Weird case .