WEDDING IN DANGER AFTER GROOM LOCKED UP

Uncertainty surrounds whether a wedding would be held because the groom is in custody in Montego Bay.

Information reaching THE STAR is that the groom, 36-year-old Omar Christie, is being held in detention under the Emergency Powers Act.

Under the Act, a person can be detained for up to three months without charge.

Christie’s mother, Joy BowenRichardson, and his fiancé, who both reside overseas and have been making plans for an October 9 wedding, are livid and confused.

Bowen-Richardson said: “They picked up my son on July 17 and said they found a gun, not on him or in his yard, but near the house. I have a lawyer who is down there on our behalf and he tells me he is not charged.”

THE STAR gathered that Christie is a tour guide and transports tourists using his licensed public transportation.

GUN WAS FOUND

Our news team understands that thousands of dollars have been spent to purchase airline tickets for family and friends to travel to Jamaica for the wedding.

Bowen-Richardson said she is having difficulty sleeping at nights.

She said: “No charges not press on him, the investigation is over with, and you still have him locked up, on what grounds I don’t know.”

According to Bowen-Richardson, several guests will be travelling from New York to Jamaica for a wedding that is uncertain.

“He is still locked up. Today (yesterday) is two months. We are just sitting down, don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do, the bride don’t know what to do. I have sleepless nights,” she said crying.

Ronald Parish, the attorney for the family, told THE STAR that Christie was detained along with another man.

Parish said: “The police found a gun in bushes near the house. A question and answer was held and it produced nothing. Another question and answer was held in relation to his alleged involvement with the G-City gang. Nothing came of that either and the detective told us he had no further interest.”

However Parish said that a superintendent of police stepped in.

“The superintendent informed them he had applied to the minister for a detention order to keep him in detention. We don’t know when he applied for the detention order,” Parish said.

THE STAR was also told that Christie’s case was brought before the St James Parish Court last week.

Parish said: “The initial arrest was based on the firearm and now that didn’t work, they went for the state of emergency clause.”