Drug Warriors Pay Up
$1.65 million settlement
The parents of a toddler maimed in a botched Georgia drug raid have reached settlements with the last two entities facing claims.
During the late-night, no-knock home invasion, which took place in May 2014, a flashbang grenade exploded in the portable playpen where 19-month-old Bounkham "Bou Bou" Phonesavanh was sleeping, nearly killing him. In February, a federal judge approved payments totaling $1.65 million by Rabun and Stephens counties, which participated in the anti-drug task force responsible for the raid. The boy's parents had earlier reached settlements totaling almost $2 million with Habersham County and the city of Cornelia, which also participated in the operation.
"The legal part is over, but the medical and emotional consequences will be with [the Phonesavanhs] the rest of their lives," the family's lawyer, Mawuli Davis, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bou Bou, who was severely burned and mutilated by the explosive device, has had to undergo a series of reparative operations that will continue into adulthood. "He's got a painful road ahead," Davis said. "The whole family, they still struggle with the trauma of what they went through, and every medical procedure is a reminder."
The raid—which was aimed at Bou Bou's cousin, a suspected methamphetamine dealer—discovered no drugs, no weapons, no drug money, and no suspects.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Drug Warriors Pay Up."
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Check out this article about the present state of bills around the US pertaining to the War on Drugs and another overview of the issue. It gives great context to the current state of this war in US legislation.
http://bit.ly/28YHQJR