Is escaped convict on Gov't project? By Adrian Frater,
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU: ESCAPED CONVICT, Nigel 'Joshie' Salmon, a man on the police 'most wanted' list in western Jamaica, has reportedly used a combination of intimidation and the threat of violence to secure a job as a watchman on a Ministry of Water and Housing pipeline project in the Mackfield/Cornwall Mountain area of Westmoreland. According to a source, the elusive Salmon, who was among a group of prisoners who escaped from the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston, in 1999, started working on the project just over two weeks ago. This reportedly after he and some of his cronies requested and were given jobs. "It is true, they (Salmon and his cronies) went down to the site and demanded work," said the Cornwall Mountain source, who said the men made it clear that the project would be stopped if they were not taken on. "I am sure he is there, I saw him there last week Friday." Since his escape from prison, where he was serving time for illegal possession of a firearm and shooting with intent, residents have accused Salmon of being behind a number of crimes in their community. According to the police, he has been linked to at least three murders since the start of the year. "We have intelligence that he (Salmon) is working on the project," said a senior police officer from the area "We are conducting our investigations. So far we know that persons associated with him are working on the project but we are checking to see if he is really among them." Black Brother's Limited, a construction company which is headed by People's National Party (PNP) activist Kenneth 'Skeng Don' Black is in charge of the pipeline project. However, when contacted on Tuesday, a source at the Mandeville-based company told The Gleaner that the person who could verify whether or not Salmon was employed to the project was out of office for the day. Police confirmed that within the last six months, Salmon has been linked to the gun-slaying of businessman Anthony Smith, who was shot and killed in Cold Spring; and 38-year-old farmer Kenneth 'Rambo' Richards, who was shot and seriously injured in Cornwall Mountain. He is now confined to a wheelchair. In one of his many recent confrontations with the police, Salmon traded shots with a police unit led by ace crime-fighter Clive 'Karate Georgie' Lawrence but managed to escape, leaving a shotgun and a knap sack with items of clothing and ammunition behind.
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