Feds Charge Cop for SWAT Burning Tot

The Georgia law-enforcement agent responsible for the information that resulted in a SWAT team shooting a stun grenade that landed in a toddler’s play pen will face federal civil-rights charges. Nineteen-month-old Bounkham “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh suffered head, chest, and brain trauma in May 2014 during a no-knock raid searching for Wanis Thonetheva, a relative of the child. Authorities also didn’t turn up drugs or narcotics, and Thonetheva was arrested without incident later that day. Phonesavanh and his parents were staying with relatives at the time of the raid because their house had burned down. Habersham County Sheriff’s Deputy Nikki Autry was forced to resign even as the department denied that information used for the raid had been “false and misleading.” A local grand jury declined to press charges. A federal grand jury, however, said it was “hurried and sloppy.” Autry had warned the SWAT team to expect armed guards.