SHERIFF APOLOGIZES FOR RAID ON WRONG HOUSE

TAZEWELL - Claiborne County Sheriff Eddie Shoffner has apologized privately
and publicly to a family whose home he and his deputies raided by mistake
Sunday night in a search for drugs and guns.

Masked and heavily armed deputies stormed into the home of Dennis and
Kristi Smith, whose son Jordan had celebrated his 5th birthday earlier. The
Smiths say they were terrified.

"They were in full gear, big rifles with clips, hollering and yelling and
pointing guns at us," Dennis Smith said.

Smith said he was handcuffed and forced to the floor, his wife taken out of
bed and searched.

"My son was sitting there, curled up into a little ball and just shaking,"
he said.

Shoffner said his department made a "terrible mistake."

"We definitely raided the wrong house, and I have apologized to the family,
privately and publicly," Shoffner said Wednesday.

Shoffner said information that drugs and guns were at that house had been
provided by an informant who has previously provided 27 accurate leads
resulting in arrests. The informant will never be used again, he said.

Smith said his family has lived at their home for seven years, their name
is plainly visible on the mailbox, and there are three vehicles registered
to him in the driveway.

"I just don't see how this could have happened," he said. "They should have
done more investigating before they came busting in here like that."

Shoffner said the information his department received was that criminals
were using the house and felt it was safe "because a good family had lived
there for several years and had just recently moved out."

Shoffner said he followed his deputies to the scene, "and the minute I
walked in the door and saw Mrs. Smith in handcuffs, I recognized her
because I had seen her before at a 'Walk for Christ' event, and I knew
right then we had the wrong place."