But while the Carnival was mostly peaceful, there was one incident that landed an American Belizean before the court. Jevon Mckay pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after he pushed the Commissioner of Police. He was fineed $1,500, which the ComPol called a slap on the wrist, and a slap in the face of the police. He believed that there should have been harsher penalties considering that he was dressed in his police uniform so Mckay could not claim ignorance.
Yesterday you also heard him say that Mckay should have been punished as severely as Inspector Christopher Martinez was. That inspector is sifting a 5 month jail sentence for wounding. On Sunup on 7 this morning, our hosts ventilated the opinion it was a bogus comparison, since Martinez is a police officer and is held to a higher standard.
The ComPol didn't exactly agree with us.
Courtney Menzies:
"Sir let's talk about Jevon Mckay and why you believe he should have gotten a more stiffer penalty, a more stiffer sentence."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"It's sad that you are the only one who doesn't believe he should, it seems to me that you are gratified when police are beaten but when police do things you want police to go to jail. Nonetheless the issue with Jevon Mckay is one that I consider to be of a serious concern. We can't have a society where police abuse or take advantage of law enforcement officers when they're doing their duties. This morning in your show, I heard you found excuses for him, one you all said the man is an Iraqi vet and PTSD and when a man approach you and want to take- that was not what happened. I'm not an idiot. I discharged my duties with utmost professionalism. I saw him with the bottle, I walked up to him, I spoke to him nicely, sir you cannot consume alcohol out here in the bottle, kindly give me the bottle. I don't know how best I could have said it. When I reached for the bottle, he pushed my hand, I tried to reach for it again, saying to him, you need to surrender the bottle, he pushed me again and he grabbed me in the shirt. He held me for about a minute, pulling my shirt until the zip tore open. What else could I have done? I had a baton, I could have used it, and justifiably so too. But I always believe in deescalating issues differently and we did so without any kind of violence against him. He was taken to the station, I made my report, and he was charged. I believe that the sentence of $1,500 is a slap on the wrist and the fact that he resides in the US, to give him time to pay is a further slap in the face of the police and this country. It ought not to happen. The same way I agree with you this morning on the show where we can't have a system where police believe they can do people what they want. We must be strict with police to make sure that they do not violate the powers they have, but equally, we must be strict with the public so they understand that they cannot abuse or assault the police when the police is doing their duties, that can't happen."
And we asked him whether he believes that Inspector Martinez's "excessive" sentence was because is a cop who attacked a civilian, while a civilian isn't held to the same standard despite assaulting a cop.
Courtney Menzies:
"In the DPP's summation in the Inspector Martinez, she went to lengths to make the point that he should be held to a higher standard because he is a police officer who went to assault a person who was in police custody. Do you not see this point that his sentence should be more than somebody attacks the police, who pushes the police?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"No, it should not be more. I agree with the DPP's summation and I'm sure if the DPP were prosecuting this case against Mckay she would say the same thing. The fact that you have a public officer performing a public duty, to have someone assaulting that public officer should be viewed as a grave crime against the state and anybody who did so should be held to account, it's as simple as that."
"And do you know that the penalty for aggravated assault, by law, is a heavier sentence than wounding?"
Courtney Menzies:
"But this is a police officer who committed this crime."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"It doesn't matter, the fact is that we're saying that the penalty for aggravated assault is a heavier penalty than wounding."
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