Kansas sheriff says FBI will pay for home damaged

GALENA, Kan. -- The FBI will pay for damage to a southeast Kansas home where authorities unsuccessfully sought a fugitive, according to the Cherokee County sheriff.

Sheriff David Groves told The Joplin Globe the home was damaged when agents with the FBI and local agencies served a search warrant in the evening of Dec. 14 looking for a man being sought on a warrant from Missouri. Groves said authorities believed the suspect was in the home.

The wait apparently ended Tuesday evening after authorities went in the home and didn't find what they were looking for.

"Either that information was inaccurate, or he left prior to law enforcement arrival," Groves said. "We have no reason to believe that he left the residence once a perimeter was established."

He didn't have an estimate of the amount of damages to the home, where windows were broken and clothes, mattresses and toys were scattered around the yard. The homeowner could not be reached for comment.

Groves declined to answer questions about why the house was damaged. It's also unclear whether the fugitive was taken into custody.

"As for why specific tactics were utilized or items removed, those questions would need to be directed to the teams involved in that action," Groves wrote in an email. He said the FBI told him it would pay for the damages to the home.

The FBI in Kansas City declined comment.

Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com