Father and son released after threats against policeman

PHLIPSBURG – The prosecutor’s office ordered on Wednesday the release from pretrial custody of a father and son who were involved in a ruckus after a head on collision that took place on Sunday around 1.45 a.m. near the Dale Extra supermarket in Cole Bay.

The father, identified by the prosecutor’s office’s spokeswoman Hazel Durand as R. P. (56) and his son R.A.P. (27) uttered threats and committed public violence against a police officer who fired a warning shot to get the situation under control.

There were many people present at the place of the accident on Sunday. The prosecutor’s office called on these witnesses to report to the police and to make video footage they may have taken with their mobile phones available to investigators.

Because of the involvement of a policeman in the incident, the prosecutor’s office emphasized in a press statement that the police conducts criminal investigation under its responsibility with a focus on finding the truth. “Suspects are prosecuted “once there is sufficient evidence, in accordance with the laws of St. Maarten and based on the principle of impartiality.”

Both father and son remain suspects in the investigation, Durand stated. Both are accused of assault, threats, defamation and non-compliance with a police order.

Photo caption: The spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, Hazel Durand. Photo Hilbert Haar.