By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff ReporterAS THE police continue to probe reports of extortion in the commercial district of downtown Kingston, one man has been charged with demanding money with menace.
He has been identified as Joseph Fowles, alias 'Prep', a 37-year-old labourer of a Rum Lane address in 'Tel-Aviv', Central Kingston.
PICKED UP BY THE POLICE
He was picked up by the police and brought before the court on January 19. Detective Inspector Danilo McLeish of the Kingston Central CIB told The Gleaner that Fowles was released on $20,000 bail.
Allegations are that he attempted to extort money from construction site workers on East Queen Street, downtown Kingston. The police were alerted and he was held. He is scheduled to return to court early next month.
"We have been hearing ru-mours about an extortion racket in downtown Kingston, but nobody has come forward to make any report so we can't investigate it. I am inviting anybody who has been affected to come and talk with us," said Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Corneilius Walker, head of the King-ston Central CIB.
DSP Walker said his division had been experiencing a downward trend in major crimes. Since January there have been four murders in the division. Investigations so far have resulted in the arrest of one person and the detention of another.
"Two of the murders, the victims were killed in West Kingston and their bodies dumped in my division. The West Kingston police are assisting us with the investigation into these two murders," said DSP Walker.
Three illegal firearms were seized in the division.
