Ex-cop sentenced in Crooked Tree death

An ex-policeman was today sentenced to jail time plus the payment of compensation to the family of a man who died in his custody. Mervin Vernon was today sentenced by Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh to nine months imprisonment and the payment of five thousand dollars to the family of Frederick Reynolds Junior, who was shot to death on the night of September first, 2001. A jury of nine had found Vernon guilty of causing death by careless conduct.

The incident took place in Crooked Tree Village after Vernon had picked up Reynolds and some other villagers for separate offences. Vernon, who was a Police Constable at the time, was accompanying the men to the Crooked Tree Police Station in the back of a police vehicle when one of the handcuffed prisoners pounced on him, kicking him out of the vehicle. Vernon regrouped, drew his service revolver, and was getting back into the vehicle when the same prisoner grabbed at the gun. The weapon discharged, fatally wounding Reynolds.

Vernon was defended by Ellis Arnold, while Director of Public Prosecutions, Kirk Anderson, presented the case for the Crown.