By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
Two Correction officers at the Grand Bassa Prison nearly one hundred miles from Monrovia are currently under probe by the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the Justice Ministry for illegally setting free a defendant known as Charles Edward, who was detained on alleged illicit drug charges.
The correction officers are Williams S. Toe, Trainer for correction and another officers whose name is not immediately known.
Inmates are mainly set free upon order of a Judge/Court or through Executive clemency, but the legal procedure is not an individual prison officer to take upon himself to let prisoners loose.
According to reports from Buchanan, Williams S. Toe is the lead facilitator allowed the defendant to escape due to what he called good behavior by the defendant.
The report further said that Mr. Toe justified that he set free the defendant because he was behaving good in prison while awaiting court trial.
The defendant’s trial was pending at the time he was set free by correction officer in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
A Trainer of correction at the prison compound, Mr. Toe allegedly set free defendant Charles Edward and even went as far as escorting him to compound three in Grand Bassa County, many miles away from Buchanan.
Prior to setting the defendant leaving prison, Mr. Toe was in constant communication with the defendant’s brother who visited him at the prison compound at 5pm after official visiting hour when the prison facility is closed.
The correction officers, who were on shift and carried out this illegal act are said to have spent the night with the prisoner on the eve of his escape.
There are reports that some correction officers set free inmates who has been convicted of a particular crime in the name jail break.
On August 29, 2019, the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency arrested a Nigerian national businessman who owns and operate a local entertainment center on Kilby Street in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County to be turned over to the court for prosecution.
The defendant, Edwar was taken to the Second Judicial circuit court in Grand Bassa County on Friday August 30, 2019 and later sent to the upper Buchanan prison compound until his appearance in court on September 3, 2019 for trial.
Since the court issued the arrest order and Edward disappeared from Grand Bassa county and his entertainment center.
Defendant Edward has been on the run since his arrest order was issued on May 6, 2019 as well as the second Judicial Circuit Court in Grand Bassa County also issued an arrest order for defendant Charles A. Edward after he failed to showed up for his arraignment in court.
Defendant Edward was initially arrested on October 26, 2018 and charged with unlicensed sale and distribution of narcotics.
Furthermore, the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency report, defendant Edward was with 414 grams of cocaine worth US$16, 544 and 58.8 grams of heroin worth US$2,058.00.
After being arrested, he was forwarded to the Buchanan magisterial court before he was later transferred to the second Judicial Circuit Court for trial.
However, while he was on the run, a property valuation bond was filed on his behalf by Anthony Kumeh and Alice Kumeh on November 13, 2018 but the resident Judge Joe S. Barkon said the law requires that the defendant must be present in court for arraignment.
Defendant Edward failed to show up in court on Monday June 3, 2019 when the case should have resumed and additionally, Judge Barkon said Kumeh who filed Edward’s bond did not provide any formal communication explaining why they and the defendant were not present in court for the commencement of the trial.
Narrating further, since the arrest order was issued by the second Judicial Circuit Court in May of this year, Edward has escaped his arrest by avoiding public areas and his residence along with his entertainment center in Grand Bassa County.
The defendant Edward was traced and arrested by officers of the Drugs enforcement agency on Mechlin Street in Monrovia with an gram of batteries.
Meanwhile, the defendant has been transferred from Buchanan to Monrovia where he will be investigated, charged and forwarded to court.