LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – A trailer violation lead police to enter a home leaving a Leavenworth family upset after they say the incident scared their child.
Robert Ennest wants to know how a call for an illegally parked trailer turned into Leavenworth police drawing firearms and letting themselves in a house when the owners were not there.
Ennest said his 12-year-old daughter was the only one home. They believe she was outside with neighbors when police were scoping out the property.
“It’s traumatizing that my little girl’s home and I’m not there,” Ennest said. “Now she’s scared. She called me crying.”
Police said the officers’ intentions were good. They said officers knocked on the door and the door opened.
Ring Doorbell Footage suggests a different story. In the video, you can hear a doorknob twist and the officer knock.
Earlier that morning, video footage shows the family doubled checked to make sure that door was shut tight.
After failing to get in touch with the owners, police said the officers made a judgment call and went inside the house to see if someone was hurt.
Ennest said that decision put his daughter in distress.
“It made me angry because I support the police and they’re here to help, but there’s no reason to enter into somebody’s residence with their weapons drawn for no reason,” Ennest said.
Police said it’s protocol to have their weapons out while searching a home or business.
Ennest said officers also tracked mud throughout the house — on carpets, clean laundry and bedding.
His family spent the whole night sanitizing. their home because their son, who is fighting cancer, can’t afford to get sick.
“His immune system is not up for that,” Ennest said.
Ennest also has to come up with about $300 to get his trailer back. Police had it towed away without the same warning he says some of his neighbors got.
“We’re just a working class family,” Ennest said. “We don’t have a ton of money to just dump out.”
Leavenworth police are looking into what happened. They will assess if the officers’ actions were suitable for the situation, or if they need to do anything different next time.
