Police Comment on Drug Search
By Sandy Vondrasek Cooch

State police this week issued a brief statement on the "no-knock" search warrant they conducted Friday, June 29, at a Randolph Village home.

Last week, The Herald reported criticisms of the 6 p.m. search, voiced by sisters Sasha and Janna Jarvis, residents of the Park Street house, but was unable to get any specifics on the search from police.

That story also contained an allegation from the sisters that Janna had been stopped and "frisked" in downtown Randolph, four days after the search. She said she believed the officer was an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy.

This week, Orange County Sheriff Bill Bohnyak called The Herald to report that he ordered an immediate investigation into that report, and determined that this could not have been one of his officers. Jarvis’s description of the officer and of the vehicle did not match any OCSD deputy or vehicle, he said. (See below.)

The report from state police on the search of the Jarvis home came in the form of an email from Sgt. John Helfant of the Royalton barracks. Sgt. Helfant confirmed the Jarvises’ report that "the target of the warrant was drugs."

For this particular search, police obtained a "no-knock warrant." Sasha and Janna Jarvis, in last week’s article, questioned why police burst through a door, damaging it, while four people, including two young children, were eating dinner. Both the Jarvises claimed to have no involvement with drugs.

In response to a question about why this type of warrant was requested, Sgt. Helfant wrote, "No-knock warrants are issued when there is a possibility of significant weaponry in the home."

The warrant, he added, "was signed by Judge Zimmerman based on probable cause."

Sgt. Helfant declined to answer further questions about details of the search, including what, if anything, was found, and the investigation that led to the search, except to confirm that Randolph police and Orange County deputies assisted in the search.

"No charges have been filed to date as the investigation is ongoing," Helfant wrote. "I can't comment any further at this time."

Who Was It?

This week, Sheriff Bohnyak said he asked Randolph police to investigate Janna Jarvis’ complaint about being stopped and patted down. Jarvis had reported, via her sister, that the reason given for the search was that she "came from that house."

Bohnyak said that RPD Officer Loretta Stalnaker contacted Jarvis, who provided a description that did not match any OCSD personnel. And, he said, the OCSD does not own a "small SUV vehicle," as the officer’s vehicle was described.

"We would not stop and frisk for absolutely no reason," said Bohnyak, adding that police must have a specific reason they can "articulate," including officer safety, to justify detaining and frisking someone.

"We do take it seriously," Bohnyak added. "I cannot tolerate an officer doing something illegal. I want to know who it was, too."

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