A Mill Valley couple, claiming a drug raid at their home was "shocking, traumatizing and improperly conducted," filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday against federal drug agents and a Petaluma police officer.
Carl Keane and Chieko Strange say they were rousted from their Ferndale Avenue home last December by federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, accompanied by Petaluma police and deputies from the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
No drugs were found in the search, but Keane was arrested on suspicion of felony drug trafficking; Sonoma County prosecutors dropped charges against Keane in March.
The civil lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, claims conduct of federal agents Seth McMullen and John Silva and Petaluma police Officer Paul Accornero violated the couple's constitutional rights.
Keane and Strange's attorney, Michael Coffino of San Francisco, said the civil rights action was "based on the incidents that led to the arrest and (property) search."
Coffino said compensation was being sought for property damage as well as "for what this has done to their lives, which has been incredibly disruptive."
Authorities "shouldn't have been there in the first place," he said.
Keane declined to comment.
Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Casey McEnry, who noted she had not reviewed the lawsuit, declined to comment on specifics, saying the agency "would let judicial proceedings take their course."
