My home was ransacked by cops as they hunted a pedophile hiding in my attic... now I'm left with the $69k bill

The US Supreme Court has refused to perceive the lawsuit of an aged homeowner near with a $69,000 measure for harm caused by constabulary erstwhile they ransacked her location due to the fact that a fugitive was hiding successful her attic.

Vicki Baker, 80, watched successful fearfulness arsenic law enforcement officers virtually demolished her McKinney, Texas, location portion searching for a wanted antheral successful July 2020. Now she's been told she indispensable ft the tremendous repair measure herself.

Despite warring for much than 4 years, Baker has been near with conscionable $500 successful her status fund. The remainder has been spent connected location repairs and ineligible battles, forcing her to merchantability her beloved location astatine a reduced price.

Baker attempted to bring the lawsuit to the US Supreme Court, but the justices refused to perceive it connected Monday.

'I was hoping the Supreme Court would instrumentality up my case, truthful what happened to maine would ne'er hap to anyone else, truthful it's disappointing that they decided not to perceive it,' Baker said successful a connection connected Monday successful effect to the ruling. 'If constabulary tin destruct my location and permission maine with the bill, it tin hap to anyone.'

However, 2 justices - Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch - person raised alarm implicit a ineligible grey country that could permission victims paying for authorities spot destruction.

They said the lawsuit 'raises a superior question: whether the Takings Clause permits the authorities to destruct backstage spot without paying conscionable compensation, arsenic agelong arsenic the authorities had nary prime but to bash so.'

Baker's attorney, Jeffrey Redfern, said: 'At immoderate point, the Supreme Court volition request to grapple with the information that determination is simply a circuit divided and that the little courts are divided connected this issue.' 

'The constitution makes it wide that the authorities indispensable compensate radical for specified takings, and your quality to person specified compensation shouldn't beryllium connected wherever successful the state you live,' helium added.

The nightmare began erstwhile a antheral who had worked connected her property, Wesley Little, stormed into her location with a teenage miss helium had kidnapped successful July 2020. 

Baker was capable to get retired and telephone 911 to alert the police, and gave them the codification to  entree to the spot successful McKinney, Texas. But her location was practically demolished erstwhile the SWAT squad aboriginal stormed successful utilizing 'highly destructive tactics'.  

Lawyers from the Institute for Justice, who correspond Baker, past asked for different proceeding arsenic they prepared to instrumentality their demands for compensation to the Supreme Court. 

Baker's daughter, Deanna Cook, was the lone idiosyncratic astatine the location astatine the clip but knew that Little was connected the tally with the miss aft seeing accusation from the teen's parent connected Facebook.

Allowing the brace successful the house, Cook claimed that she needed to spell to the store and left. It was past that she called her parent and authorities.

Baker, Cook and the constabulary met astatine a section Walmart wherever the homeowner passed on the codification for the authorities to summation entree to her house.

Police arrived astatine the spot and surrounded it, moving to negociate the merchandise of the teenage girl. 

Eventually the teen was capable to exit the property, alerting authorities that Little had 7 firearms inside. He aboriginal took his ain life.

The archetypal suit that Baker had filed alleging a usurpation of her Fifth Amendment rights said: 'Eventually, the McKinney constabulary decided to tempest the house, utilizing highly destructive tactics. 

'They knocked down the backyard obstruction with a BearCat (essentially a tank). They fired astir 30 teardrop state canisters done the windows of the house. They knocked down the beforehand doorway and the store door.'

'The harm to the location was extensive. Every model needed to beryllium replaced. A hazmat remediation squad needed to cleanable the full location due to the fact that of the teardrop gas. Appliances were destroyed.'

The suit continued: 'The beforehand doorway and store needed to beryllium replaced. Tear state canisters had smashed done the drywall. 

'Carpets, blinds, and ceiling fans needed to beryllium replaced. The harm totaled astatine slightest $50,000.'

Speaking astir the incident, Baker told Fox News: 'What I was told was the crushed they did a batch of that was to bring astir disorder to the perpetrator inside. 

'They telephone it daze and awe, truthful portion they were doing each this harm to my house. He seemingly killed himself. 

'Tear state got my daughter's small Chihuahua, truthful helium had to beryllium enactment to sleep. Everything you person successful location went.'

Her security argumentation excluded damages caused by the government, truthful Baker attempted to record a spot harm assertion with the metropolis who refused to wage out. 

Baker past proceeded to writer to the metropolis with the assistance of the Institute of Justice who successfully argued that the metropolis had a close to prehend the property, but that she should beryllium compensated. 

The metropolis past offered to wage retired the afloat magnitude successful damages, but Baker's lawyers refused to settee until the metropolis had changed argumentation truthful it wouldn't hap again. 

A national justice besides sided with Baker, and a assemblage awarded her $59,656.59 successful damages. 

The metropolis past appealed this decision, and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the erstwhile ruling.   

In November 2023, Baker, who is a cancer survivor, vowed to situation the appeals court's ruling stating that she is not entitled to a $60,000 payout.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the period anterior that it was indispensable for constabulary to usage the measures to resoluteness a standoff astatine Vicki Baker's location and that she should not beryllium compensated for the damage.