St. Thomas police warn truckers over aggregate spills as school charges, threats probe and road alert unfold

Police in St. Thomas have warned that truck operators caught hauling overloaded aggregate through the parish could soon be arrested on the spot, as loose material on roadways is increasingly linked to serious crashes.

Deputy Superintendent Rohan Richie, commanding officer for the St. Thomas Police Division, told Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation that traditional ticketing and summonses are no longer curbing the problem. Officers plan to use the National Solid Waste Management Authority Act, treating dislodged aggregate as littering. “We are going to explore arresting people on the spot under the national solid waste management authority act because the dislodging of aggregate is a form of littering. It litters the streets and it creates an issue for travelers,” Richie said. He accepted that tougher action may draw pushback from operators but said public safety must come first, citing problem stretches including Roacher Gully in White Horses. Richie said division records show at least two accidents tied to aggregate on the road. Councillor Hubert Williams of the People’s National Party White Horses division backed a crackdown, warning that road deaths in the parish can outpace homicides and that he knew of about five aggregate-related incidents, not only two.

In St. Elizabeth, police have charged four students aged 13 and 15 from St. Elizabeth Technical High School with assault occasioning bodily harm after a series of fights at the school last week. Superintendent Cerich Mento, the parish commanding officer, told Thursday’s meeting of the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation that officers are strengthening intervention through the school resource officer programme, working with the guidance counsellor and dean of discipline inside the school and in surrounding communities. Last Wednesday alone, 17 student fights were reported at the institution.

The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) says it is jointly investigating recent threats against members of the Stella Maris Preparatory School community, alongside the Jamaica Constabulary Force. MOCA said increased police presence continues on the St. Andrew campus while the situation is monitored, but it cannot comment further on the active probe. The agency urged anyone with information to call its tip line at 888-MOCA-TIP or Crime Stop at 311. A heavy police deployment has been in place since last week after a disturbing online video threatened violence against administrators and demanded $50 million, naming specific members of the school community.

The National Works Agency (NWA) says a section of the Broadgate to Main Road in St. Mary is seriously compromised after a pipe culvert was burnt from beneath the embankment, causing partial collapse. Manager of communication and customer services Steven Shaw said the northbound lane from Broadgate is closed and all traffic is being routed onto the northbound carriageway, with the affected area cordoned off and emergency works planned to replace the damaged culvert. Motorists are urged to exercise extreme caution, especially with rain in the area.

Meanwhile, the Accompong Electoral Committee says nomination activities scheduled for Friday in Accompong, St. Elizabeth, will proceed despite a Supreme Court injunction halting the process. On Wednesday, Justice Enhard Hines granted an interim stay of nomination and election activities until 10 June 2026 or until a related application is heard. The action was brought by Mera Ro, a former colonel of Accompong and prospective candidate, who alleges Colonel Richard Curry has advanced plans without informing potential candidates and imposed rules favouring his agenda, and who questioned holding nomination day before the voters’ list was finalised. In a Friday statement, the committee said it was surprised by the injunction, reaffirmed Maroon self-governance under the 2022 Accompong constitution, and concluded that consultations with legal advisers supported continuing Friday’s nominations, while questioning Ro’s eligibility to contest.