The GBI has concluded its review of a botched drug raid that resulted in a toddler being seriously injured, but it could be another two months before the fate of the law enforcement officers involved is determined.
Brian Rickman, district attorney for the Mountain Judicial Circuit confirmed he’s received the GBI report on the Habersham County raid and is in the process of deciding his next step.
“There are all sorts of scenarios,” Rickman said. “We have to see if there’s any evidence that there was a violation of Georgia law.”
The early morning raid — conducted in late May by a Habersham County Special Response Team composed of sheriff’s deputies and Cornelia police officers — followed the alleged purchase of $50 worth of methamphetamine from Wanis Thonetheva at his mother’s home.
When officers arrived at the house, a report released by the Habersham sheriff's department said, "the lights were off and there was nothing immediately visible in the entry way." Officers, who had a no-knock warrant, lobbed a flash bang device inside the residence. It landed in the playpen of 19-month old Bounkham "Bou Bou" Phonesavanh, who sustained a brain injury and collapsed lung. His nose was also detached from his face when the device exploded.
GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said the agency would have no comment on its report, which, according to Rickman, does not include any recommendations one way or another.
“They gathered all the facts, and they presented us their findings,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He would not reveal what those findings were.
The incident reignited a debate over no-knock warrants and what some believe is the “over-militarization” of local police forces.
Rickman said some tactics and procedures used by law enforcement in Habersham County could be reviewed. “I do feel like everything will be re-examined,” he said. “I’m satisfied that’s it being taken seriously.”
The sheriff’s office has declined comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is conducting its own probe into the raid but has yet to issue its conclusions. “We’ve had open lines of communication, but our decisions on how to proceed will be made separately,” Rickman said.
Meanwhile, Bou Bou was released from the hospital earlier this month after making what his father, Bounkham Phonesavanh, called a “miraculous recovery.” The family had been living at the house where the raid occurred only temporarily and has returned to Wisconsin.
“We want to see justice for our son,” the boy’s mother, Alecia Phonesavanh, told The AJC recently.
The family’s attorney, Mawuli Davis, said he is reserving comment while Rickman digests the GBI report. He did say he was “confident there will be changes made,” though he declined to elaborate.
Davis has previously labeled the raid as “overkill,” calling the suspect, Thonetheva, a “low-level dealer.” He also criticized the response unit for failing to take note of a mini-van equipped with four child safety seats that was parked in the driveway of the residence.
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