OPP RAID GETS THE ADDRESS WRONG

'Bomb' Could Have Injured Toddler, Says Relieved Mother

Heavily armed police burst into a Claude Street apartment in Arnprior
on Friday morning and pointed a weapon at Jessica Taylor's head as
she held her 20-month-old daughter.

Taylor, 19, says she is lucky that police mistakenly raided the wrong
apartment first because her two young children could have been hurt
or killed by a "bomb" police were prepared to use on her family.

"It was meant to go in my apartment and I am lucky because if that
would have went anywhere near my daughter it probably would have
really hurt her or killed her," she said.

OPP were trying to execute a search warrant at her apartment, but
went to the wrong one first. Reports indicate that a man named Steven
Carrigan was startled when police burst into his apartment instead.

Taylor readily admits her spouse, Mitchell Kelly, has "made mistakes"
and has a criminal record, but said her children should not be
subjected to such a violent raid.

"They knew there were children in the house. They jumped in with big
guns in my daughter's face and she was screaming," she said.

Taylor and Kelly face several charges, including possession of a
prohibited weapon and possession of marijuana.

OPP Sgt. Kristine Rae admitted that police got the wrong address.

"The information the police received, which obtained the warrant from
the courts, was the apartment they initially entered," she said.
"Once they entered, it was confirmed it was not the right person and
we received further information which directed us to another apartment."

Taylor's father, Stephen Taylor, lives nearby and heard the explosion
and saw smoke pouring out a window near his daughter's apartment.

"All you could see from the backyard to the road was riot squads with
the blast shields, the full gear, they were all brandishing automatic
weapons, like it was nuts," he said.

Tyler said he is friends with Carrigan, the man who's apartment was
first mistakenly raided by the police. He said Carrigan told him they
called him Mitchell, the man they were looking for and he told the
police his name was Steve and that Mitchell lived downstairs. This
was after police launched an explosive device into Carrigan's
apartment that burned a hole in his teenaged son's bed. Tyler said
Carrigan showed him the scene of the explosion and a space heater
that was destroyed by the force of the blast.

"They didn't even know what Mitchell looked like. They have his
picture. He has a criminal record. You think they would have pulled
down a picture of him so they knew what they were looking for," he said.

Tyler has been given an eviction notice by her landlord and expects
the Children's Aid Society to take away her children as a result of the raid.

Her father said he understands police have a dangerous job and they
often face dangerous people, but said this could have been handled better.

"They didn't know where he lived, they didn't know what he looked
like? I mean, come on," he said.

Rae said the resident can make a complaint to the OPP's professional
standard's section.

Members of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau's Provincial
Weapons Enforcement Unit, the Drug Enforcement Unit, OPP Tactical
Response Team, OPP Emergency Response Team and the Arnprior OPP
Detachment executed the search warrant.

The investigation continues.