Actions of officials in raid defended

Utah's two top federal law enforcement officials are defending the actions of agents who are being criticized for roughing up suspects during a massive raid last week involving the alleged trafficking of ancient Indian artifacts.

U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman said he is standing behind the level of professionalism agents exhibited during a raid in the Four Corners area in which 12 search warrants were simultaneously served in several locations.

"Law enforcement does not have the luxury to distinguish between felonies, between violent and nonviolent, during arrests," Tolman said Wednesday in an attempt to "clarify misconceptions" about the case. In reaction to criticism from Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett that federal agents went overboard in their arrests, Tolman said he understood the need for the senators to listen to their constituents and welcomed their inquiry into the matter.

FBI Special Agent In Charge Timothy Fuhrman said Wednesday that each warrant served was accompanied by a team of 10 agents, many dressed in body armor and some who were armed. Fuhrman defended the decision to have armored and armed agents rush into homes and take people into custody, citing concern over some of the 24 indicted suspects owning firearms.

Many in San Juan County have expressed outrage over the actions of agents' "Gestapo tactics" in rounding up suspects, including a local physician who later committed suicide after being formally charged with counts of trafficking in stolen artifacts, theft of government property, theft of tribal property and aiding and abetting.

Several defendants in the case have alleged they were injured during their arrests, including one man who claims his toes were broken. Both Tolman and Fuhrman denied any of the suspects were injured at the time of arrest after fully briefing federal agents who served the warrants. Tolman said the man who claims broken toes had spent more than an hour at his home after his arrest and then made a court appearance shortly after without complaining of any injury.

Fuhrman confirmed that agents had weapons drawn and at times pointed them at suspects in order to gain compliance, but defended those actions as standard procedure in felony arrests for the safety of agents and suspects. Fuhrman said many federal agents have "paid the ultimate price" for underestimating the danger level during an arrest and that agents must look out for their safety.