On October 24, 2023—officers associated with the U.S. Marshals Service and local sheriff’s offices planned and executed a raid on the home of Cathy George in Sandy Springs, Georgia. They were looking for a man named Joshua Smiley. Smiley had no connection to Cathy and more importantly, had been in custody for four months.
Cathy was asleep and alone with her small dog. She woke in a panic, thinking her home was being invaded. She went after her dog, who had run to the door, barking. As she opened the door, she found herself covered in lights from laser-equipped firearms pointed at her body. Officers grabbed her and pulled her into the hallway.
There officers held her—cold, exposed, confused, and terrified—for roughly 15 to 20 minutes while more officers ransacked her home in search of Smiley. After they realized their mistake, the entire team quickly left, leaving behind a home turned upside down and a deeply shaken resident. They did not show her a warrant or give her any explanation of what had gone wrong.
Had the officers run the most basic of checks, they would have realized that Smiley was behind bars and could not possibly be in Cathy’s home. Instead, they subjected an innocent woman to a traumatizing, humiliating raid with no explanation. Cathy suffers lasting effects. She moved from her apartment but still lives in fear that another inexcusable raid could happen again.
Cathy has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to hold the officers and the federal government accountable and to ensure that law enforcement officers do not recklessly violate innocent people’s rights without consequence.
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4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Georgia Botched Raid
More than a dozen heavily armed law enforcement officers stormed Cathy George's apartment, looking for a fugitive who had no connection to Cathy and who was already in custody.