Owego Quilt Shop Raid: “It Has Changed Us”

A Tioga County woman says she is surprised by the support she's received since telling the story of the ordeal she and her husband went through at the hands of police who searched her quilting business for drugs and illegal guns.

Cindy Dunlap says she's pleased with the comments from area residents and from others who learned of the February incident after the couple's radio interview.

Dunlap and her husband, Steve, were detained for hours after police stopped them separately before executing search warrants at their town of Owego home, where she's run a small business for years.

Dunlap told WNBF News April 2 that many people who've contacted her have said they should sue because of what they had to endure.

But Dunlap said: "There is no lawsuit. There is no case." The couple had consulted with an attorney shortly after the February 11 search.

Cindy Dunlap said she still is left wondering why the events of that night happened. But, she added, she never was angry and she's not bitter.

Dunlap said she remains disappointed that neither Broome County Sheriff David Harder nor Tioga County Sheriff Gary Howard have apologized for what she and her husband had to face. But she was pleased Howard made clear during a radio interview that they were innocent.

After being wrongly targeted by police, Cindy Dunlap said: "It has changed us. We're not naive anymore."

The story has received widespread attention. A criminal justice blogger in The Washington Post commented on the case.

Thousands of people have listened to the Dunlaps describe their experiences during a March 27 interview on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program.