Court dismisses case against Borough for illegal search

Judge William Carey dismissed Karen Ellingstad's motion for summary judgment, saying that the Petersburg Borough's search of her home in January 2014, prior to demolition, did not constitute an illegal warrantless search in violation of her Fourth Amendment rights.

Furthermore, the court noted, "In this particular situation, under these circumstances, the warrantless search (by the Borough) was justified because the plaintiff did not have, and could not have, a subjective and reasonable expectation of privacy."

Borough employee Karl Hagerman entered Ellingstad's home at 1011 Wrangell Avenue, o...