A prison officer is on trial for allegedly allowing three convicts to damage a cell phone jammer.
Prosecutors allege that Donovan Rolle let convicts Angelo Poitier, who is serving time for murder, Kendeno Rolle, convicted of armed robbery, and Jahjero Rolle, convicted of manslaughter, into the medical corridor on May 9, 2015, where they tampered with the device. Poitier and Kendeno Rolle pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.
The trial against Donovan Rolle and Jahjero Rolle began before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday. Principal Correctional Officer Charles Curtis, attached to the prison's Internal Affairs Unit, said he interviewed the three inmates and four correctional officers, who worked the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift on the day in question.
According to Curtis, the inmates admitted that they damaged the jammer that was in the Maximum Security corridor, near the Medical Department. Curtis said that Jahjero Rolle said that officer Rolle opened the gate to the corridor. The inmate said that he acted as a lookout while the other convicts pulled out the wires from the jammer. Curtis said the inmate said he was instructed to damage the device, but declined to say who gave him the directive. Curtis said the corridor was a restricted area for unescorted inmates.
The prison electrician, Chauncey Johnson, said that he repaired the jammer at a cost of $1,500. Defense lawyer Dennis Gomez, who represents the officer, challenged the estimate. Gomez, who said his first career was an electrician, suggested that the labor and materials the repairs were closer to $600 or $700. Johnson said that the timing clock used as a junction box for the jammer was not a regular 120 volt one, so the costs would be more.
Commissioner of Prisons Patrick Wright testified that he authorized a police investigation into the incident. He said the jammers, with a total value of $72,000, were donated by BTC. The case continues on February 19.
Sergeant Phillip Davis prosecuted.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
