Two Portland men had several charges laid against them following a robbery incident at a business establishment along the St. Margaret’s Bay main road in the parish on Sunday, February 25.
Charged are 50-year-old driver Anthony Hibbert, otherwise known as ‘Blacks’, and 52-year-old Richard Charles, otherwise called ‘Paulie’, both of Snow Hill, Portland. Hibbert had Robbery with Aggravation, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Malicious Destruction of Property and Driving Away Motor Vehicle Without Owner’s Consent while Charles was charged with Receiving Stolen Property.
Reports from the Port Antonio Police are that between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., two men, one armed with a shotgun, entered the business establishment. They ordered the security guard on duty to assist them in loading the company’s vehicle with construction material. Moments later, one of the two men contacted Hibbert, who entered the premises in a motor car and drove away the loaded truck, with the car following behind. The police who were on patrol in the area intercepted the truck on a second visit to the premises, and an attempt was made to accost them. Hibbert drove away, crashed into a wall, and the occupants fled into nearby bushes.
Acting on information, a subsequent operation was conducted, and Hibbert taken into custody. Charles was later arrested after a large quantity of the stolen property was found at his residence. Both men were charged following a question-and-answer session on Tuesday, February 27. Their accomplices are still at large.
Their court dates are being finalised.
