Ombudsboy freed of Agreement to Influence an Officer charge
And in the Supreme Court, the case against Lionel Castillo, known as the Ombudsboy, finally came before Justice Herbert Lord today and Castillo walked free when Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Banker-Taitt filed a nolle prosequi indicating that the prosecution was unable to proceed.
Castillo was facing a charge of Agreement to Influence an Officer of the parole board of the central prison. The charge goes back to June seventeenth, 2007, following a police sting operation in which it was alleged that the “Ombudsboy’’ accepted one thousand five hundred dollars from a former prisoner Kelvin Reneau on the promise that he would secure parole for the inmate.
D.P.P. Branker-Taitt said she filed the nolle prosequi because Reneau was being recalcitrant and indicated that he does not want to testify. And according to the D.P.P. “the case has been a phenomenal waste of police and resources because the police had set up a sting operation and recorded Castillo receiving money but without Reneau’s testimony the other evidence was useless”. Branker-Taitt also said that she is looking into the matter to see what action can be taken against Reneau.
Castillo was represented by attorney Dickie Bradley.