Roxboro woman wants apology as emotional scars linger from 'SWAT-style' raid of her home
Months after her home was rushed by police, a Roxboro woman is still shaken by the events of Jan. 6, 2023.
Shayla Tapp said that the Roxboro Police Department executed a 'no-knock' warrant and underwent a 'SWAT-style' raid at her home on that date.
Tapp is now asking for a change in policy and a formal apology. Tapp said she was in the shower when police knocked down her door, held her naked on the floor and searched her home.
She was initially charged with a misdemeanor possession of marijuana. The district attorney later dropped the charges in the case.
Mike Waters' dismissal notes said body camera footage showed the search warrant being served in a no-knock manner, despite there being no suspicion of drug trafficking or drug trade.
Members of the Granville County NAACP joined Tapp and her attorney at a press conference on Thursday at Roxboro City Hall.
They argue this warrant never should have been served. Tapp said it stemmed from an issue about an alleged theft of a dog. Police came to her home to take back the dog and then returned later with the warrant for the marijuana misdemeanor charge.
Tapp said she's been diagnosed with PTSD after the incident, which has taken a heavy emotional toll on her.
‘This situation has changed me," Tapp said. "I cannot trust the police. I do not sleep at night. I am terribly afraid. I would not want this to happen to anybody, nobody, not my worst enemy."
"I just want to be myself again," she added.
Attorney Abraham Rubert-Schewel said that no 911 call or police report of the matter exists, however, Roxboro Police Chief Davis Hess disputes that claim.
In a statement, Hess said 'I am confident the video shows officers knocking and announcing on the front door, then after no response, went to the back door and did the same thing before entering with a lawfully obtained search warrant."
Tapp said her doors are still off their hinges and the home still has significant damage from the raid.
