Broome Sheriff Not Apologizing for Mistaken Raid

Bob Joseph/WNBF News [file][/caption]

Broome County Sheriff David Harder is not prepared to apologize to a husband and wife who were targeted in a botched raid by a task force looking for drugs and guns.

A sheriff's office detective sought and obtained two search warrants from Broome and Tioga County judges for the home of Steven and Cindy Dunlap.

Police took Steven and Cindy into custody separately on the evening of February 11. The couple was detained while investigators conducted a thorough search of their town of Owego home.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program Monday, Harder said he knew a search warrant was going to be executed at the property, possibly in Tioga County.

The sheriff said he didn't realize two judges - in both Broome and Tioga counties - had approved search warrants.

Harder said he later was advised by the Special Investigations Unit task force that they "came up with nothing."

The sheriff was asked whether he could understand how the Dunlaps could have felt terrorized by what they went through as they were held by investigators for hours. He said "I understand that people aren't used to that happening, of course. It wouldn't be any different than myself, if I was out there."

Do the Dunlaps deserve an apology? Harder said: "I don't know what happened that night."

Harder said he would find out more about what transpired that night but he indicated he might not make any more information public.

The sheriff said investigators "evidently had enough information to convince a judge - two judges - to sign search warrants to do what they did."

Harder noted he worked narcotics investigations for 25 years. As for this case, he said, "what happened that night? Who knows? I've been there before when you come up dry and other times you come up with a big hit."

The sheriff noted two detectives visited the Dunlaps a week after the raid in an effort to answer their questions about what occurred.

Harder said "they went back and tried to explain as to what happened and why they were there and I think that's probably an apology."

LISTEN to the interview with Sheriff Harder from Monday's Binghamton Now program.