Legal Features

The Rutherford Institute's complaint in Dantzler v. Hindman and Westbrook

The Rutherford Institute has filed a Fourth Amendment lawsuit against Texas police officers who, after being denied entry to a private home without a warrant, arrested the homeowner, placed him in handcuffs, threw him to the ground for refusing to allow police to search his home, and then carried out a warrantless raid on his rural home.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Rutherford Institute attorneys allege that police officers with the Gillespie County (Tex.) Sheriff’s Department violated the constitutional rights of Huntly and Susan Dantzler when they demanded entry into the Dantzler’s home during a search for a missing woman. Although the Dantzlers informed the police that no woman was present in their home, the complaint alleges that police ignored the couple’s request for a search warrant prior to entering their home, resulting in an illegal search, seizure and arrest.

Click here to read The Rutherford Institute's complaint in Dantzler v. Hindman and Westbrook