Escaped Convict Still at Large

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he search is still underway for a convict who escaped from the Bordelais Correctional Facility yesterday. Since Tuesday afternoon photos of the man known as Hanson ‘Dirty White’ James have been circulating on social media, and the STAR has been officially informed that at least two teams are on the ground from the prison, and one from the police in operations surrounding his recapture.

On Tuesday afternoon a caller to a local radio program claimed to have firsthand knowledge of just how dangerous the escaped convict was.

“I’ve heard the police describing him as a burglar, with gross indecency convictions, but because of my own personal knowledge of this individual, he has broken into my house once, and trespassed on my property another time, the contribution I want to make is that this individual is very dangerous,” the man said on Timothy Poleon’s Newsspin show. “He has been in and out of jail several times, and if his history is any indication of what he is going to do next right now I can tell you that he’s probably trying to get his hands on a firearm. He has pointed a gun at my wife, and he is also incredibly athletic.”

The man went on to warn the public to be extremely wary of the individual, as he was “extremely dangerous, and very, very athletic.”

“It’s a pity we couldn’t actually change him and recruit him into our athletics to represent St. Lucia in the Olympics because his athletic capabilities are phenomenal,” the caller shared.

Earlier this morning Police Press Relations Officer Acting Corporal Zachary Hippolyte released a statement concerning the law as it pertained to Harbouring or Aiding a Criminal, according to the Criminal Code of St. Lucia 2008. The section reads:

A person who knowing or having reason to believe that another person has committed or has been convicted of any crime, aids, conceals, or harbors that person, with the intention of enabling him or her to avoid lawful arrest or the execution of his or her sentence, or to escape punishment, is liable—

(a) if the crime is punishable with death or with imprisonment for 14 years or more, to imprisonment for 7 years, on conviction on indictment;

(b) if the crime is an indictable offence other than that referred to in paragraph (a), to imprisonment for 5 years, on conviction on indictment;

(c) if the crime is a summary offence, to a fine of $1,000 on summary conviction unless the Court is of opinion that in the circumstances there should be no conviction or punishment owing to the trivial nature of the offence or other sufficient reason.

“We, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force would like to encourage the citizenry to read and study the laws which governs our society,” the release stated. “Never forget that knowledge is power”.

As of 2:30pm on Tuesday afternoon, Hanson ‘Dirty White’ James remained at large.