DRUG RAID PROMPTS LAWSUIT

WINDSOR - A Windsor man is suing five communities because of a North
Central Municipal Narcotics Task Force raid that mistakenly targeted his
apartment two years ago.

Robert Zimnoch, 55, claims that he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder
and back pain and that he lost time from his job as a handyman because of
the forced entry.

"He was in his underwear and they held a gun to his head. This has really
affected him," said Zimnoch's attorney, David Jaffe.

The suit names the towns of Windsor, Bloomfield, Canton, Avon and East
Windsor, as well as the officers involved in the raid. Zimnoch is seeking
damages in excess of $15,000.

On the morning of March 11, 1999, police burst into Zimnoch's apartment at
389 Broad St. with guns drawn. They threw him to the floor, handcuffed him
and proceeded to ransack his apartment, the suit alleges.

Zimnoch lives in a two-family apartment; police were looking for the people
who lived on the bottom floor.

But Windsor police had been watching the dwelling for days leading up to
the raid, Jaffe said. The apartments have separate mailboxes and are listed
separately in the town assessor's records, and Jaffe said that Zimnoch did
not even know the people who live on the bottom floor.

Windsor Police Chief Kevin Searles said the department tried to apologize
to Zimnoch. The chief also said the department paid the landlord to fix a
door that was forced open and disputes Zimnoch's claim that he was injured.

"We tried to talk to him, but he didn't want to talk to us," Searles said.
"He wanted us to talk to his lawyer, instead."

"I understand he was upset," Searles continued. "We were upset ourselves.
If someone ran into our house ... with guns in their hands, I'd be upset,
too. But I don't know if you can put a price tag on that or if you should."

Canton Police Chief Lowell Humphrey said his department doesn't have
anybody involved in the drug task force and was not involved in the raid.
East Windsor Police Chief Thomas Laufer and Avon Town Manager Phil Schenck
said they couldn't comment on pending litigation.

Bloomfield officials did not return phone calls Friday.