DA'S OFFICE APOLOGIZES FOR GETTING ADDRESS WRONG ON DRUG RAID

A drug enforcement unit supervised by District Attorney Stephen A Zappala
Jr.'s office has reimbursed and apologized to a Clairton man who had his
door broken down last week and a drug raid was conducted at the wrong house.

The man, 76-year-old Wesley Neal, of Halcomb Avenue, said he has had a
headache since the incident.

Neal said he was watching television in his home at about 5 p.m. on Friday,
when police broke down his door, pointed guns at him, and told him to get
on the floor.

"I said, 'Get down for what?' " Neal said. "I knew I hadn't done anything."

He said the agents quickly realized they had the wrong house, apologized,
and asked Neal if he was hurt. Neal complained of chest pain that extended
from his one shoulder to his fingers, and said members of the district
attorney's narcotics enforcement team left a business card with a phone
number. They continued the raid two doors down Halcomb, where Neal said he
has noticed a lot of traffic. "It's wide open whatever they're doing," he
observed.

Mike Manko, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, said he could
not comment on details of the case or on the result of the raid.

"We apologized to the gentleman, we fixed the damage, and we gave him a new
door," he said.

The new door cost $260, Neal said. He told police he will see a doctor today.

The drug agents did nothing wrong, Neal added, but he has retained attorney
Joseph M. Gaydos of White Oak.