South Louisiana Police Execute Search Warrant at Wrong House

Most of the time when a Louisiana resident gets an unexpected visitor at their front door it is not cause for alarm. But for one South Louisiana woman who got a task force full of visitors at her home in the middle of the night, we don't think the idea of uninvited guests will go over that smoothly.

To make matters worse, the uninvited guests barely knocked before they knocked down her front door. And I am sure their entrance into the woman's home was not done in a quiet and dignified manner either.  And if you think this neighborhood visit sounds more like a police raid, then you'd be right.

Here are the details.

Just before midnight, maybe closer to 11 pm on Wednesday night officers with a task force whose mission it is to remove ne'er do wells from our cities, streets, and neighborhoods executed a search warrant. The fact that these officers had the proper warrant should indicate they "were visiting with a specific purpose in mind". That purpose was to make an arrest.

Unfortunately because of a database issue task force officers executed the search warrant on the wrong home. They were supposed to be searching a residence at 130 Martin Luther King in DeRidder. Instead, their database pointed them to a home that is physically located at 134 Martin Luther King in DeRidder.

We should note that the above residence is what comes up on Google Maps and Google Streetview when you enter 130 Martin Luther King DeRidder Louisiana. The home's resident told officers that this address is actually 134 Martin Luther King DeRidder Louisiana. So the database mix-up is legitimate.

The home's resident, Antoinette Hatch told KPLC Television that she is still very shaken by the ordeal. Officers involved with the task force did return to Mrs. Hatch's residence and make a formal apology. The task force has already offered to reimburse Mrs. Hatch for any damages done to her property.

As of this report, Mrs. Hatch has declined their offer to replace and repair any items that were damaged or destroyed. There is no word if Mrs. Hatch plans any further legal action. Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies involved in the task force are reviewing their database for other possible errors.