June 20, 2012
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Divine revelation is now probable cause?
If you were a cop and got a call about a mass murder of children and the person who called you is a psychic who gets her information from the angels, would you take it seriously?
The couple weren’t really serial killers and didn’t even have one dismembered child buried in their yard, let alone 25 to 30 of them, much to the surprise of the psychic who calls herself “Angel. Now they’re suing the sheriff, the psychic and a bunch of news outlets who reported about them “after a self-proclaimed psychic told the sheriff that 25 to 30 dismembered bodies were buried in a mass grave at their home.”
The sheriff’s office provided the plaintiffs’ address to the news media and repeated the false statement, and it made nationwide and worldwide headlines, according to the complaint.
Bankson and Charlton claim the sheriff’s office searched their home unreasonably and without probable cause, inviting the media along to watch the intrusive execution of the search warrant.
The couple claim the sheriff’s office was “unreasonable in relying on an uncorroborated tip from a self-proclaimed psychic source” who has proven to be “unreliable and untrustworthy.”
“They up front asked me how I got the information, and I am a reverend. I am a prophet and I get my information from Jesus and the angels, and I told them that I had 32 angels with me and they were giving me the information and then it went from there,” Angel said.
What judge would sign a search warrant based upon information provided by a psychic?
The good news is that there was no mass grave, meaning that 25 to 30 children had not been murdered. If 25-30 children had disappeared you would have thought people would have noticed.
Comments (8)
“If 25-30 children had disappeared you would have thought people would have noticed.”
Indeed.The ‘psychic’ wasn’t just claiming to have had a vision about the murders, ‘Angel’ was claiming to be getting the ‘information’ directly from Jesus himself, which of course gives her claims instant credibility among the religiously indoctrinated. Another example of organized religion trumping common sense.That couple’s home was destroyed (had to be, as that’s generally what happens during the course of a search by the police or the feds), their name smeared and the privacy and home brutally violated, all for nothing. I hope they win their suits, run the ‘psychic’ out of business and get an assload of money. Perhaps then, those involved will utilize their common sense.
That is totally unreasonable. I can totally understand the frustration.
Though if that many kids were proven missing, i can also undersrand police trying any possible lead, even if it involved using alternative or unusual methods. But that was not case here obviously.
Agree re: ridiculousness of judge signing order too.
In a society where more people believe in ghosts, angels, and demons than believe in evolution, despite the the lack of evidence for the latter, this is not shocking. It is scary as hell, but not shocking in the least. I hope that couple wins their lawsuit.
good Morning, Kris.The whole idea of the police department responding to the warning of a physic is simply ridiculous to me. Movies love this theme, and they do get to news time. I agree, what kind of judge would approve of such a search”
BTW–who is your grandmother doing. We provided elder care for our 98 year old MIL and her 96 year old sister in our home for 5 years. It was very challenging.
frank
@ANVRSADDAY - she is doing pretty good. Thank you for asking
I weep for humanity.
I would take it serious but would go investigate before I did anything and that sounds to me like police hysteria. I hope they win their law suit as they have been drug through the public arena and been humiliated. This whole thing is so wrong.