Afters spending four nights in prison on remand, six police officers accused of a string of criminal offences have finally managed to secure their bail.
Although the six officers, last assigned to the North Eastern Division Task Force, were granted a total of $4.5 million in bail on Monday, their relatives were unable to obtain approval of their documents required to secure their release.
During a brief hearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday, their lawyer Vince Charles asked Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar to clarify the discrepancy. Ayers-Caesar acceded to Charles’ request, clearing the way for the Clerk of the Peace 3 at the courthouse to approve the officers’ bail.
The officers: Steve Williams, 35, of Heights of Guanapo Road, Arima; Brandon Thompson, 25, of Seeyjagat Trace, Tumpuna Road, Arima; Ronald Samuel, 32, of Duncan Trace, San Juan; Kevon Patrick, 30, of Kingdom Avenue, Bypasss Road, Arima; Ryan Grandison, 27, of Tunip Lane, La Horquetta; and Dion Ottley, 31, of Bon Air Gardens, Arouca, are charged with a combined 46 offences.
Williams, Thompson, Samuel and Patrick are charged with misbehaviour in office, false imprisonment of four people and robbing one of them of $53,000 and $4,200 worth of jewelery. The offences allegedly took place on January 5 at Kelly Village, Caroni.
Williams, Grandison and Ottley are charged with threatening to charge falsely three people for possession of cocaine, marijuana and a gun. The officers were also charged with robbing one of the trio of $125,000 and $55,000 worth of jewelery.
All offences took place on December 12, last year, at Frederick Settlement, Caroni. Ottley faced two separate charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice on December 13 at the Santa Cruz Police Station and on December 12, last year.
They will reappear in court on February 15.