A police officer was yesterday charged with having unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.
Police constable 20280 Keon Richmond, 23 of Lot 44, Stanleytown, New Amsterdam was placed on $300,000 bail by Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo when he appeared before her on two charges of being in possession of arms and ammunition without being the holder of a licence.
He pleaded not guilty when he appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrates’ Court.
The Tactical Service Unit rank and four other persons were in a taxi in the Canje area on February 25 this year when they were stopped and searched by a mobile police patrol. The other men, Lancaster Village, Corentyne residents Shemroy Corlette, 21 and Cleroy Williams, both cane cutters by profession, Yougendra Bheemsingh,19, and Michael Butcher, 24, a taxi driver of Manchester Corentyne, were remanded to prison in relation to the matter. They were later granted bail by the High Court.
Reports are that Richmond and the others were in a white Toyota Carina AT 192 motor car bearing licence plate number HB 5559 around 3 pm on Thursday, February, 25 in Vryheid, West Canje area, when they were spotted by the mobile police patrol acting in a suspicious manner.
The car was stopped and the men were ordered out as the police proceeded to search the vehicle.
The search unearthed a .38 revolver with one live round in the weapon, which was stored in the car pocket behind the driver.
Richmond reportedly stopped the car and disembarked some distance away after seeing the police patrol approaching and he was subsequently arrested and questioned, but denied knowledge of the weapon after the others had pointed him out as being the owner of the weapon. The matter was later sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
The accused, who was represented in court yesterday by attorney Charrandas Persaud, will make another court appearance on July 7th.
