Cheye Calvo

Cheye Calvo

Cheye M. Calvo (born March 28, 1971) is an American politician and the mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, elected in 2004. Calvo and his wife moved to Berwyn Heights after the elementary school reopened in 2002[1][2] In July 2008, his house was raided in a controversial incident with the Prince George's County Police and Sheriff's Office.[3]

Contents

Raid

Main article: Berwyn Heights drug raid

On July 29, 2008, a SWAT team from the Sheriff's Office, agents of the State of Maryland, executing a search warrant and assisting the separate County Police, conducted a raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo. The raid was initiated after the Mayor brought a package delivered by the SWAT team into his home. A drug-sniffing dog in Arizona had determined that the package—addressed to the Mayor's wife—contained marijuana (later determined to have contained 32 pounds). While taking control of the residence, Sheriff's deputies shot and killed Calvo's two pet Labrador retrievers, including one who was cited by Calvo to be running away from officers.[4] Calvo and his mother-in-law were handcuffed and questioned for several hours, with Calvo wearing just underwear.[5]

Improper search warrant

During the interrogation, Calvo repeatedly requested to see the search warrant, but his lawyer stated no copy was provided until three days later. A County Police spokesman initially stated that a no-knock warrant had been issued for Calvo's home. However, after Calvo's lawyer challenged that statement and media published copies of the warrant, the commander of the county's narcotics enforcement division stated that no-knock warrants do not exist in the county.[6] However, no-knock warrants were clarified in a 2005 law, sponsored by Baltimore Delegate Curt Anderson,[7] that limits their use to suspects fleeing into a house, or if a suspect is considered armed or is attempting to destroy evidence.[8]

Suit and settlement

Calvo filed a lawsuit against Prince George's County and a number of its officials and employees. His lawyer questioned deputies and police officers for hours in sworn depositions. The suit was settled the day the trial was set to begin. Although the details of the settlement were not immediately released, Calvo said that it will include an agreement by the county to change how its law enforcement officers conduct such operations, including such issues as how and when SWAT teams are deployed and the humane treatment of pets.[9]

References

  1. ^ Setting Itself Apart in Prince George's, Keisha Stewart, Washington Post, Saturday, February 11, 2006; Page G01
  2. ^ Berwyn Heights houses now selling in 'one or two days', Karen Baxter, Baltimore Sun, July 18, 2004
  3. ^ Davis, Aaron C. (2008-07-31). "Police Raid Berwyn Heights Mayor's Home, Kill His 2 Dogs". washingtonpost.com. pp. B01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003299.html. Retrieved 2008-10-26. 
  4. ^ Associated Press (2008-07-31). "SWAT team raids Md. mayor's home, kills 2 dogs". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-31-mayor-raid_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  5. ^ "Editorials: Shoot First, Ask Later; In Prince George's, a drug bust goes awry". The Washington Post. 2008-08-07. pp. page A20. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080602795.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  6. ^ Helderman, Rosalind S.; Aaron C. Davis (2008-08-07). "Pr. George's Police Arrest 2 In Marijuana-Shipping Plot: One Package Went to Mayor's Wife". The Washington Post. pp. page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080602495.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  7. ^ Anderson, Curt. "HOUSE BILL 577, "No-Knock" Warrants". Maryland Legislative Information System. http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/billfile/hb0577.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-04. 
  8. ^ Fisher, Marc (2008-09-14). "No Police Work in This Botched Action". The Washington Post. pp. page C01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/13/AR2008091302534.html. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  9. ^ Castaneda, Ruben (2011-01-24). "Prince George's settles suit by Berwyn Heights mayor over storming of home". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/24/AR2011012405711.html. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 


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