Tags:
| Updated: 2/09 10:42 pm |
Published: 2/09 10:33 pm |
A Hot Spring County woman is scared for her family's safety after she says law enforcement officers busted into her Malvern home unannounced.
Sheriff's deputies though say they had to after a new lead in an investigation into a string of home burglaries.
It's a strange but very convincing story of a first hand account of deputies executing a search warrant at her home. We're sharing her version and why she's not too happy with how everything went down.
The Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office however says it didn't quite happen like she's portrayed.
"It was just like boom!" Victoria Braggs shared about the moment she says she heard her front door get kicked in.
Braggs says the kicked-in door is where it began Tuesday (2/5) night.
The 18-year-old had just moved into her Malvern home in the 1300 block of Locust Street. She's doing what she can to care for both her 11 year old sister and elderly uncle.
"That's what I feel proud about," Braggs said. "[The] first night staying at my house was Sunday night."
It all took a turn though when law enforcement officers conducting a search warrant came to her home.
She mimicked their actions, "Police! police! get down! get down!"
The scared new homeowner shared how she remembered it.
"As I walked out my room all I saw was flashlights and a gun in my face," Braggs said. "Like the whole world was against me cause he was threatening me."
She says screaming frightened her. Not know who these people were.
"He never said I'm officer 'wooptywoo" ... he never approached himself to me."
She didn't know why they were there.
"What y'all looking for? What is going on?" she had asked. "He told us don't worry about it y'all will find out when we get through."
She says it wasn't until over an hour later before she was handed a search warrant signed by the district judge.
According to the Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office an arrest made in a string of burglaries opened the door to the search.
"Information that we got led us to a search warrant said that [stolen property] would be at her residence," explained Detective Jeremy Bennett.
He says, in fact, the door was never kicked in and further defended the appropriate actions taken during the search.
"She was not mistreated in any way, she was not detained, she was not threatened, she was not wrongfully accused. Her door was not kicked in ... her door was wide open when we got there."
Developments in the string of burglaries led them to Braggs.
Information that stolen property or wanted people could be inside Braggs home was obtained after the arrest of an initial suspect, Marquis Black.
According to the Sheriff's Office, because of the circumstances, they don't have to immediately present the warrant.
Either way, nothing was found in the home during the search. As a result, two more teens are wanted for questioning in relation to the burglaries.
It still has Braggs worried for her safety because she could be related to the wrong person at the wrong time.
