Sophia couple to lodge official complaint after cop fails to fix damaged fence

Sophia residents, Maylene Jordan and her husband Louis, are planning on going to the Police Com-plaints Authority (PCA) over the issue of the police officer who damaged their fence when he crashed into it while allegedly driving under the influence; he was off duty at the time.

Jordan told Stabroek News that she was told that the off-duty officer went to the area while she and her husband were at work and propped up the parts of the fence he had smashed into on February 2. She said she was surprised when she got home and saw that the fence was propped up.

Jordan stated that “the officer, I guess, decided to fix it and … just put it back up…but it is so shaky and [he] didn’t fix all of this,” she pointed to broken palls used to keep the sides of the drain from caving in. She said she and her husband wanted the police to have accountability. “If this was me, if this is what I did to someone’s property, people would have called the police and there would be repercussions. We just want our fence fixed.”

Maylele Jordan shows where she planned the garden to be located. She was pointing at where there used to be a post to hold the siding and the fence in place securely.
Maylele Jordan shows where she planned the garden to be located. She was pointing at where there used to be a post to hold the siding and the fence in place securely.

Jordan said she wanted to go to the PCA because she wanted to make sure that internally the police were dealing with this matter. Her husband recalled the day the officer crashed into their fence.

“I remember I had been asking about the fence in all the commotion; re-member I was asking him what the police were going to do about this, we wanted it fixed and he was so intoxicated that he wasn’t even acknowledging me,” Jordan’s husband claimed.

Jordan said the reason the fence went up in the first place was because she had intended to start planting of a small front garden. “Imagine that same day I said I was coming out here to plant some things, dig up the ground, get it ready; that same day. I am thankful I wasn’t here when he crashed,” Jordan stated.

Jordan and her husband both said that the drainage was being affected by the broken siding. They said they work hard to keep their drains clean and clear.

Jordan and her husband would like to know what disciplinary action is being taken against the officer. Jordan said she was hoping a letter to the PCA would provide her with some answers.

On February 2, an off-duty police officer who was said to be heavily under the influence crashed his silver Toyota Allion, PLL 7698, into the Lot 542 ‘B’ Field Sophia fence. After a small crowd gathered the officer became irate lashing out at media and residents as the police tow truck was moving his vehicle from the drain.

The off duty officer stated that he was swerving to avoid two cows, however this was contradicted by the many eye witnesses.