Iowa county sued after officers reportedly kicked down the wrong door

Five Van Buren County Sheriff's officers executed a search warrant at the wrong address in June, forcing open the front door and confiscating and destroying property despite the residents pleading with them that they had made a mistake, a lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.

“We own this property … it’s ours until we are done,” an unnamed officer told Michael Owings’ mother and his girlfriend, who both arrived during the search and told the officers they were in the wrong place, according to the lawsuit.

Why or how the alleged mistaken search occurred hasn't been explained.

On June 27, a judge granted the officers’ request for a search warrant at a Douds, Ia., home in connection with an illegal drugs investigation.

But the two-story structure that was the subject of the search warrant was about a third of a mile away from Owings’ mobile home.

Despite two address markers and a sign on the front door that said “The Owings,” Van Buren Deputy John Zane and four other unnamed officers attempted to kick in the door.

READER NOTE: The four other officers were Van Buren Sheriff Dan Tedrow, Chief Deputy Brad Hudson; Reserve Deputy Matt Dietzman; Reserve Deputy Mike Earp. The other names were made available by Van Buren's Sheriff officials on Sept. 25 (four days after the lawsuit was initially filed) in response to a Des Moines Register records request.

The officers ultimately cut the locked chain securing the door and “began to conduct an intrusive search” of the wrong property, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit further alleges that the officers uncovered multiple items during the search that established them to be at the incorrect residence.

“Rather than terminate the search and depart the premises, defendants consciously disregarded the information and continued searching,” the lawsuit said.

Owings is suing the county for the officers’ “flagrantly illegal entry” of his home and their “deliberate indifference to and/or reckless disregard” of his constitutional rights against unreasonable searches. He declined to comment Thursday.

The department also has no comment, Van Buren Sheriff Dan Tedrow said Thursday.

No court date has been set.