Prisons officer Darron Ramlochan will appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate today charged with misbehaviour in public office after he allegedly failed to give a reasonable explanation for why he did not hand over the bunch of keys to the prison before leaving work last Thursday.
Ramlochan, 28, a prisons officer for the past four years, was arrested last Friday when he resumed duty at the Port-of-Spain Prison. It is alleged that after leaving work on Thursday afternoon he failed to sign out the keys to the prison and only when police allegedly searched the St Helena home of his in-laws were the keys recovered.
Police approached the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) yesterday after taking statements from the officer’s relatives and co-workers and was given the all clear to lay the charge.
The T&T Guardian understands that since the incident, security measures at the over 200-year-old correctional facility on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain, have been increased, including more frequent police patrols.
Prison officials maintained yesterday that while the keys were returned they were being cautious, especially since there had been rumours of an intended jail break following last year’s daring daylight breakout.
Last April there was an increase in security at the Port-of-Spain Prison after there was a rumour of an intended jailbreak. Up to yesterday evening there was no word on if the locks at the prison had been changed.
On July 24 last year, three prisoners—Allan “Scanny” Martin, Christopher “Monster” Selby and Hassan Atwell—staged a daring escape from the prison. Armed with two guns and a hand grenade, the men forced their way outside through the main gate used by visitors and prisons officers.
The fugitives shot at a group of police who were on patrol at the time, fatally wounding 27-year-old Constable Sherman Maynard. The trio car-jacked a passer-by and dropped the grenade which did not detonate.
The trio crashed the stolen car a short distance away and Martin, who was on trial for the murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman at the time, was shot dead at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by police. Atwell was found shot dead in East Dry River two days later. Twenty four hours after Atwell was killed, Selby surrendered to police.
Cop on $80,000 bail
A police corporal attached to the Western Division was allowed to continue on his $80,000 station bail yesterday after he appeared in court charged with misbehaviour in public office.
Kevin Beckles, who is attached to the St Jams Police Station, is accused of stealing two televisions — a Samsung flat screen and a Sony flat screen — valued $7,999 and $5,100 respectively from the police station.
The televisions were part of a police investigation after they had reportedly been stolen. It is alleged that Beckles stole the electronics some time between March 4, 2014 and May 31.
The matter was heard before Senior Magistrate Gail Gonzales and was adjourned to August 16 and transferred to the court of Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar.