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'Double standards' claims over gun find @ Travis Gumbs home
The young man is said to be residing with his parents. However, following the arrest of Gumbs, persons have been pondering how is it that his parents whom he lived with were not arrested or charged for allegedly facilitating or otherwise being implicated in the gun, ammunition and drugs find, in the same way that a former legislator was when her son was similarly implicated.
It is being said that there are double standards when it comes to the dispensing of justice in the territory and that this case is a glaring example of such.
On October 24, 2014, a Police Operation involving the execution of a number of search warrants at Pockwood Pond led to the arrest of Penn-O’Neal, her son Cordell O’Neal, her daughter Zubida O’Neal and Shameek Grant.
Police had testified that Cordell O'Neal had immediately owned up about the guns and that his mother had nothing to do with it, however, Mrs Penn-O'Neal, along with others in the home at the time, was still charged.
Following months of agonising legal woes, Irene F. Penn-O’Neal, her daughter Zubida O'Neal and daughter’s boyfriend Shameek Grant walked out of the courtroom as free persons on July 24, 2015. Principal Magistrate Tamia N. Richards found them not guilty of all charges against them.
When contacted for a comment, former legislator and At Large candidate for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) at the June 8, 2015 general elections Irene F. Penn O’Neal said she had no comment to make as she had put the entire “painful” episode behind her and that she did not know the young man who had been arrested and charged.
It’s an ongoing investigation - Drayton
When this news site put the question to Police Public Relations Officer Diane Drayton as to why the parents of Gumbs were not charged and the glaring inconsistency of the two scenarios, she said she had no response as she herself had been making inquiries about that very question.
“I don’t know and I don’t think that we can even answer that as it is an ongoing investigation. It is something I [asked] about,” said Drayton when approached for a comment on the seeming inconsistency in how this case was handled as against the Irene F. Penn-O’Neal's case.
“Police are investigating that situation. Ultimately it is the DPP that makes the call [as to who is charged],” said Drayton.
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28 Responses to “'Double standards' claims over gun find @ Travis Gumbs home”
Both parents are NDP supporters?
Check out who they work for....
you all dont know why the parents was not arrested ?check it out good ... in the police force bam bam
DPP full of >>>> ...choose who family to destroy. And the police investigating just as stupid, because you live in the same house doesn't mean you know what the other person living there is doing. There are couples living in the same house, but living separate lives ,separate rooms. But to the public they living good.
His Father is a Police. He is not a crocked cop so I wouldn't arrest them either.
Not only that... the Gun in house was in the main house and they allegedly claim that her son lives in the apartment downstairs. That is a major difference.