LAST Monday, after the unfortunate situation regarding the electrocution of 23-year-old Police Constable Dorwin Pitman had occurred, a police source said that investigators would very likely be seeking advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether the escapee Ackeem Edwards should be charged with murder or manslaughter, since his action in escaping from lawful custody had caused the electrocution death of the policeman. And more than twenty-four hours after Constable Pitman’s demise, no one has been arrested for the illegal electricity connection running from a GPL pole to a home located in an alleyway, and which had caused the death of the policeman. The wire, more than 30 feet in length and weighing several pounds, spanned bridges and trenches in the area while passing through yards and underneath fences en route to the home.

RECAP

Last Monday, Constable Dorwin Pitman went to the Prashad Nagar Police Station to feed detainees when  Ackeem Edwards pushed him aside and made a dash for freedom as Pitman was handing another detainee his meal.

Pitman and another police rank chased after the detainee Edwards, who made good his escape through several streets and short cuts as he headed back to his home community of North Sophia. The policemen were still in pursuit of the escapee when he negotiated the alleyway through which Pitman reportedly tripped and fell on the illegal wire which was lying across the dam.

On Monday, persons in the area were very concerned about the wanton theft of electricity in the Sophia area, while expressing concern over the inability of the police and GPL to effectively superintend the area and arrest and prosecute all those found stealing electricity.

Members of the community policing group were also alerted to the unfolding situation with the expectation that they would intercept the escapee as he entered the area, but by the time they mobilised, the situation was already upon them.

It was reported that the escapee Edwards had been in police custody over the last weekend for possession of cannabis and an offensive weapon. He was to appear in court on Monday to be charged with, among other things, waiting to commit a felony.

Now, aside from charging Ackeem Edwards with escaping from lawful custody, possession of narcotics, possession of an offensive weapon, and waiting to commit a felony, the police would reportedly be seeking DPP advice on whether the man should be charged with murder or manslaughter in connection with the electrocution death of Constable Dorwin Pitman. There is also a likelihood that the persons whose house had the illegal connection could be charged with either manslaughter or murder.