SWAT team bursts into Cedar Rapids home, looking for drugs

Police in SWAT gear busted through the door of a northeast Cedar Rapids home and searched inside for drugs Thursday morning.

At least 12 officers surprised the tenants at 1135 33

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St. NE around 7 a.m. Lt. Jeff Hembera confirmed they executed a narcotics search warrant, but no one was taken to jail before the officers left an hour later.

The tenants of the house, Justin Davis, 28, and his girlfriend, Erica Lewis, 26, were charged with disorderly house and signed a promise to appear in court, police said.

Police said no one was injured during the raid. Davis said his 5-year-old daughter was in her room when officers busted a hole in the front door.

Davis said he came to the door when he heard a K-9 unit dog barking, and was pulled outside, where he was told to lie face down in his front yard. He said the officers had him at gunpoint.

Police would not say if they recovered any drugs or paraphernalia, but Davis claims they did not find anything. He was visibly upset after police left and mentioned moving out of the area.

“What do you think my neighbors think about me now?” Davis said. “My character has been assassinated, and I'm really upset about that.”

Davis said he and Lewis were handcuffed while officers searched. They were told police had information that there was drug activity at their house.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said search warrants are issued only after a judge reviews the evidence collected and signs the warrant. In general, police investigate tips about drug activity by interviewing neighbors, looking through trash and using a drug-sniffing dog, Hamblin said.

“We don't take just one person's word, under normal circumstances,” Hamblin said.

Davis said he is on probation and it would be stupid for him to be involved with drugs.

“They should have made sure they had concrete evidence before they knock in someone's door,” Davis said.

Disorderly house is described as a building or room where someone “resorted to for” illegal activity involving drugs, alcohol, gambling or prostitution, according to a city ordinance.