Deputy charged in botched raid that injured toddler pleads not guilty
A former Habersham County sheriff's deputy on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges she intentionally misled a judge in order to obtain an arrest warrant for a drug raid that left a toddler badly injured.
“Nikki Autry has been charged with a crime she didn’t commit,” said her attorney, Jeff Brickman. “She never intentionally did anything to mislead the magistrate judge.”
Nineteen-month-old Bounkham “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh sustained severe injuries to his face and chest, along with possible brain damage, after a stun grenade deployed during the May 2014 raid landed in his playpen.
According to the federal indictment, Autry relied on untested informants to purchase crystal meth from Wanis Thonetheva outside his mother’s house, where Bou Bou, his siblings and parents were temporarily residing.
One of the informants claimed there was heavy traffic “in and out of the residence,” prosecutors said, and based on that information the judge issued a “no-knock warrant.”
Autry, who resigned from the sheriff's office after a Habersham grand jury criticized the raid as "hurried and sloppy," was released on a signature bond without supervision, Brickman said.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
