One of the remaining five inmates on the run after escaping from the fenced-in pasture at the Lusignan Prison earlier this week was in a messy situation Friday afternoon as Police ranks hauled him out from a pit latrine at his Kitty, Georgetown home.
According to information released by the Police, 25-year-old Pascal Smith, a
Recaptured escapee: Pascal Smith
murder accused, of Lot 123 Barr Street, Kitty, was recaptured around 12:30h after ranks of the Joint Services received information that he was hiding there.
It is believed that the man went to the house to visit the mother of his child. Upon seeing him, the woman reportedly contacted the Police.
With his arrest, the Joint Services have been successful in recapturing nine of the 13 escapees, who fled through a hole under the fence at the fenced-in pasture at Lusignan between Sunday night and Monday morning. While there are three layers of security at the penitentiary, the men were able to escape during the downpour in the wee hours of Sunday.
It was reported that the men escaped from the fenced-in swampy pasture of the Lusignan Prison by digging a hole under the perimeter fence. The hole, which was about five feet in length and another five feet in depth, was located within an area that was cordoned off with zinc sheets as a makeshift pit latrine for the inmates.
However, the freedom of most of this group of escapees was short-lived as seven of them were recaptured during the course of Monday by ranks of the Joint Services. They were since charged and appeared at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, facing charges of escaping from lawful custody.
During the arraignment, three of the men pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one-year imprisonment. They were: 22-year-old Jamal Forde, Jamal Joseph and 19-year-old Winston Long.
The four other escapees: Teshawn McKenzie, Royan Jones, Jason Howard, and Odel Roberts, pleaded not guilty and were remanded until their case is called again in August at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court. The men told the court that they escaped from a pasture and not a prison, arguing that the only reason they did so was because of the conditions they were forced to stay in.
Meanwhile, another escapee, Kendall Skeete, 25, was recaptured on Wednesday morning at a relative’s abandoned house in Wisroc Housing Scheme, Wismar, Linden.
According to Police reports, the Police Anti-Crime Squad, acting on confirmed information from its intelligence network, swooped down on the Wisroc residence and was able to apprehend the fugitive without any use of force.
Skeete, who was in prison for the murder of a Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara man back in 2008, was allegedly trying to make his way into the interior.
Meanwhile, efforts are continuing for the recapture of the remaining four fugitives. Additionally, the Joint Services are also still hunting for the four inmates who were among the group that initially escaped from lawful custody on July 9 after staging an attack on correctional officers at the Camp Street Prison and setting the penitentiary alight.
So the eight escapees currently on the run are: Clive Forde, called “El Sinkie”; Shawn Harris, called “Shawny”; Kerry Cromwell; Paul Goriah; the alleged mastermind behind the Camp Street fire, Mark Royden Durant; ex-cop Uree Varswyck; Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander, and Cobena Stephens. The last four are the escapees from the Camp Street facility.
Jurisdiction
On Friday, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told media operatives that he believed the men were still in the jurisdiction. This is in light of reports that some of the escapees had fled the jurisdiction.
“Intelligence is going on (in terms of recapturing the escapees) and there is no intelligence that is indicating (they fled the jurisdiction). Somehow, we believe that they are still in Guyana probably harboured by people and I’m urging members of the public do not – these are dangerous men and they could do the society tremendous harm. Obviously, they will need your support, do not support them,” urged Minister Ramjattan.
In its efforts to recapture the inmates, the Guyana Police Force is pleading with the public and relatives of these escapees to inform law enforcement of any relevant information as to the whereabouts of the fugitives.
The authorities are also urging the escapees to surrender themselves to avoid any serious confrontation that is likely to result in the use of force.
Lusignan Prison by digging a hole under the perimeter fence. The hole, which was about five feet in length and another five feet in depth, was located within an area that was cordoned off with zinc sheets as a makeshift pit latrine for the inmates.
