Inmates escape in Falmouth, cops penalised.
SEVERAL POLICE personnel were yesterday removed from frontline duty and several cells at the lock-up at the Falmouth Police Station in Trelawny taken out of service following the escape of four prisoners, including an accused murderer, on Wednesday night.
The escapees have been identified as 26-year-old Mario Morrison of Bamboo district in Hanover; 32-year-old O’Neil Demetrius of Lowe River in Trelawny; 22-year-old Trevaughn Lawson of Rosemount, St James; and 39-year-old Adrian Stewart of Dumpfries, St James.
Demetrius and Morrison were arrested on murder charges: Lawson for shooting with intent and Stewart for assault and breaking in. They reportedly escaped by cutting a hole in the ventilation system to their cell.
The escape of the men, which occurred shortly after 10 p.m., apparently, went unnoticed as the police only became aware of the situation after residents on the nearby Cornwall Street alerted an off-duty policeman.
“An off-duty police officer was alerted by residents that suspicious men, looking like prisoners, were seen along Cornwall Street ... . The lawman immediately alerted his counterparts at the Falmouth Police Station,” said Superintendent Dwight Powell, who heads the Trelawny Police Division.
“Checks were made at the cell, and it was discovered that four male prisoners were missing.”
According to Powell, a manhunt was immediately launched and members of the public asked to look out for the escapees. He also warned the public that it was against the law to harbour escapees.
The matter is being investigated by the inspectorate of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Powell added: “We have abandoned that particular area, reinforced the human resource of the cell block with a view to seeking to find any other possible escape routes. It is prudent to note that the cell block from which the prisoners escaped is not being used at this time.”