Records: Attorney claims Hickory police illegally searched suspect’s home

HICKORY, N.C. — A suspect who’s facing charges for possession of drugs and firearms claims that the Hickory Police Department made false statements to get a search warrant that led to the charges.

That’s according to a motion filed in Javario Devon Robinson’s case last month, which asks the court to suppress evidence found during a search on April 6, 2023.

It stems from an incident when Robinson was treated after being shot in the leg.

Family members say Robinson was found on the sidewalk near his home, and police used that as an excuse to go inside.

Chardae Wilson owns the home police searched, and she has five children with Robinson. She spoke with one of the officers after learning they were executing the warrant.

“They were like, ‘We need to know what he was shot with,’ [and] I said he was shot outside, why are you going in the house to know what he was shot with? And they were like ‘We have a warrant, so we have probable cause,’” Wilson told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty on Monday.

The door to Robinson’s home was locked, but after getting the search warrant Hickory police officers went inside and said they found evidence to charge Robinson.

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But Robinson’s attorney says the officers had no probable cause to get a warrant, adding that video from the officers’ body-worn cameras also shows discrepancies in their statements to get the warrant.

According to the search warrant affidavit, police say they attempted to secure the home when Robinson’s father “slammed and locked the door.”

But according to the motion filed by Robinson’s attorney, the body-worn camera video never showed that. Instead, it shows the door was closed when police arrived.

The warrant says police did find several weapons and ammunition inside, along with cocaine and marijuana.

Police sent Channel 9 a statement saying, in part, “Due to the case being turned over to federal courts, we are unable to respond to questions in reference to the case.”

The police report says the incident was an “accidental shooting.”

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