BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MEMBERS of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force are on the hunt for an eighth suspect in the November 14, 2010 Brimstone Hill tourists’ robbery.
According to Police Press and Public Relations Officer Inspector Vaughan Henderson, members of the force have launched a massive manhunt in search of Curtis Long of Sandy Point.
“Officers in the District ‘B’ area have in their possession 17 warrants in the first instance for the arrest of Long. Long has been accused of being involved in the November 14th 2010 armed robbery of a number of persons on board a tour bus at Sandy Point.
“The police are therefore seeking the assistance of the general public in locating and capturing Long. He is considered armed and dangerous, and persons with information are asked to contact the nearest police station,” Henderson said.
Henderson also indicated that although the robbery took place over three months ago, investigations are ongoing and the police would leave no stone unturned.
Long has been the eighth suspect fingered in the tourists’ robbery.
On Thursday, February 3, 2011, George ‘Naddy’ Welsh of Fig Tree and Delvin ‘Stoby’ Francis of St. Paul’s Village were arrested and charged on 16 warrants in the first instance for aiding and abetting as a commission of the said robbery.
They were remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison, where they have joined 29-year-old Elroy ‘Stanny’ Williams of Crab Hill, Adminston Lewis (23) of Crab Hill, Devon ‘X Man’ Hodge (28) of The Alley, Grenville ‘Rogie’ Rogers (20) of Romney Ground and 27-year-old Junior Sobratie, all of Sandy Point.
On Sunday, November 14, 2010, while 17 cruise ship tourists (including a baby) were aboard a coaster tour bus on their way to visit the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a large branch from a tree was placed across the access road in the vicinity of Lime Kiln to impede the smooth flow of traffic.
The driver exited the tour bus to remove the branch, but while doing so two armed, masked men approached him and he ran from that area to a nearby gas station, from where he notified the police of the incident.
While he was away from the scene, the gunmen robbed the tourists of an undisclosed sum of money, cellular phones, jewellery and other personal items.
This incident had made headline news in the international media and had resulted in the cancellation of two cruise ships’ calls to Port St. Kitts on November 16 and 17, 2010.
