Chester on McDougal Three: “We are not going to shield none of our own”

By Aaron Humes: Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police, reiterated the Police Department’s determination to root out “bad guys” after three young officers were charged for their involvement in the death of Andrew McDougal in December.

In a press briefing this evening he said, “We continue to demonstrate that when it comes to police misconduct we are not going to shield none of our own. It serves us no good to do so. Police officers are trained to preserve life, not to take life. We are trained to be civil to the people we serve, not to beat up on them. So, when police officer behaves in a matter they did with the McDougal matter they ought to be held responsible.”

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions directed charges be laid after a thorough investigation against 29-year-old John Lucas and 25-year-old Jameel Lewis for manslaughter. Additionally, 23-year-old Tessa Stuart was charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly lying in her statement on the incident.

The Commissioner added, “We want to be as transparent as we can to show the public, we are serious about our own when they step out of line.”

In court in Independence, Stann Creek District, this afternoon, Tessa Stuart pleaded not guilty and was offered bail in the sum of one thousand dollars. No pleas were heard from John Lucas and Jameel Lewis; both were remanded until the twenty-seventh of March.

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