Court says Jermaine Mangar is no rogue cop

Rogues cops in the police department, that was the alarm sounded at the April First press conference by the Commissioner of Police, Crispin Jefferies flanked by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. That was as official as it could get but the common man on the street often said there were officers who also did double duty as criminals. Well, the COMPOL and the PM made it clear that the unsavory officers would be purged out of the department. But only one officer was eventually charged for robbery as well as conspiracy. Detective Corporal Jermaine Mangar was charged along with two city residents, Jermaine Palacio and Ernie Hyatt for conspiring to rob Chon Saan Restaurant. A surveillance video showed the men, but not the crime. This morning in the courtroom of Chief Magistrate Margaret Gabb McKenzie, the prosecutor requested that the robbery charge against the trio be dismissed. News Five caught up with Detective Corporal Jermaine Mangar and his attorney, who said that they have proved that he is simply a cop, and not one that went rogue.

Jose Sanchez

“You were called ‘The Rogue Cop’, the courts say you’re not.  Can you please tell us what happened that night?”

Jermaine Mangar, Freed of Attempted Robbery Charge

Jermaine Mangar

“What I don’t want to go into that. What happened is that the court proceedings will reveal everything. Whatever evidence they say they have, that will go through with regards to the court. But my story is a long story and likewise the same story I gave to them they didn’t believe it. It’s a long story, however, it’s the truth.”

Jose Sanchez

“So you’re innocent. Do you plan to return to your duties as a cop?”

Jermaine Mangar

“Well definitely, I will always be a police officer. The mentality as a police officer will always remain with you and in regards to being reenlisted back into the police department; it is my hope that it will definitely happen because I’m innocent of all charges.”

Jose Sanchez

“Do you feel that perhaps you were set up by overzealous senior officers?”

Jermaine Mangar

“Definitely I was set up. Senior officers working with the criminal element that is how the set up happened. I feel much better with one of the charges being withdrawn. However, with time, definitely other charges should be withdrawn.”

Jose Sanchez

“And all the fanfare that was brought out up to the point of your arrest; you had the prime minister, you had the commissioner of police talking about these rogue cops then only you. Were you simply a scapegoat?”

Jermaine Mangar

“Well I have nothing against none of them. Likewise my duty was, as a police officer, I had certain protocols to deal with. Likewise they are dealing with their protocol and I have nothing against them. But the whole rogue cop, the whole fanfare thing really got to me. I was really offended in regards to that because it was a whole mess and I knew to myself that everything was just fabrication.  I’m leaving everything to the hands of the above and time will reveal that I’m innocent of all charges. As you see, one of the charges have definitely been withdrawn. There’s no evidence regarding an attempted robbery.”

Jose Sanchez

“I know there are some hard feelings, do you intend to maybe bring charges of your own?”

Jermaine Mangar

“I don’t want to discuss that, I will leave that for another time.”

richard bradley

Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, Attorney for Jermaine Mangar

“The prosecutor, on instructions, informed that the charge of attempted robbery was to be withdrawn on direct orders of the Director of Public Prosecutions, having reviewed the file, having confirmed what Mr. Mangar and his family had said from the very outset. So that was done on instructions. In other words, there is nothing in the file to sustain even bringing that charge against him. There’s no evidence. Mr. Mangar was handed how many pages of disclosure this morning? Ninety-four pages of bogus allegations against a police officer and it has taken this long, from all fool’s day until the middle of July 2010.”

Mangar’s next court date will be on the twenty-ninth. Ernie Miranda and Jermaine Palacio were remanded to prison as they have other charges against them.   Palacio is charged for another robbery and firearm offense while Miranda has several other charges including an assault charge.