A former Weakley
County couple, found not guilty in a jury trial for
possession of illegal drugs, have filed lawsuit against
Weakley County and the City of Dresden.
On Nov. 14, 2005,
Edward Allen Hugueley, 46, and his wife, Connie, 43, who now
reside in Parsons, filed civil rights complaint directed
against the Weakley County Sheriff's Department, Dresden
Police Department, and Dresden officers Clay Anderson,
William Lofton and Jason Percy.
The lawsuit alleges
that these two law enforcement departments and officers are
guilty of the "use of force and denial of medical care,"
violation of the Eighth Amendment and the Due Process Clause
of the Fourteenth Amendment and the torts of assault and
battery and negligence.
The case is
scheduled to be heard by a jury in Western District Federal
Court in Jackson on Feb. 5, 2007.
The circumstances
leading up to the couple’s arrest and eventual trial in
Weakley County Circuit Court, as well as the details of the
lawsuit against the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department and
the City of Dresden are as follows, based upon police
reports and court records, as well as the allegations made
in the Hugueleys’ lawsuit.
It all began on
September 2, 2003, when the Weakley County Sheriff’s
Department executed a search warrant at the residence of
Eddie and Connie Hugueley located at 812 Palmersville Hwy.
89, just north of Dresden. The Sheriff’s Report states that
a search of the residence resulted in the discovery of
assorted illegal drugs, including several plastic bags of
methamphetamine, marijuana, and various pills. Also, video
surveillance equipment, including cameras and monitors were
seized, along with five guns, night vision equipment, and
police scanners with the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department
frequencies programmed into them.
Based upon the
evidence found in the home, the Hugueleys were arrested and
charged with: possession of schedule II methamphetamine,
with intent to sale; possession of schedule VI marijuana;
and possession of schedule IV prescription drugs.
Following the pair’s
preliminary hearing in Weakley County General Session Court
on September 10, 2003, the couple was freed after posting
$50,000 bond each.
It was this case
that was heard by a Weakley County jury, but despite the
evidence, both were found not guilty. According to
Assistant District Attorney Kevin McAlpin, during the jury
trial, the couple convinced the jury that the drugs were not
theirs, but instead, must have belonged to some of their
friends who had been at their home.
However, one point
of contention with the Hugueleys was that after the trial in
2003, when they were found not guilty, the police kept
everything confiscated.
(Read the rest of the story in the
August 30th print edition of the
Dresden Enterprise!)
