FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Four others have vanished without a trace since Jake disappeared on May 9; Mackinson Colas, Deangelo Mckenzie, Junior Reme and Desmond Rolle.
As the accused are minors, authorities were vigorously protecting their identities. They were charged in the juvenile court with manslaughter.
Earlier in the day, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade’s announcement about the impending arraignment came as a shock to Grand Bahama natives who have been desperately awaiting a major break in the case.
Mr. Greenslade had said four arrests were made and the persons would have been formerly charged at Freeport’s Garnett J. Levarity Justice Centre.
News of the arraignment spread like wildfire, leading to a large crowd of anxious spectators swarming on the outside of the court. The curious onlookers were hoping to catch a glimpse of the accused.
They were held back by defence force officers but pandemonium broke out when the onlookers realized that the accused were actually children. Jackets were draped over their heads as police escorted them into a waiting bus.
They were being taken to the Grand Bahama International Airport to be flown to New Providence.
This week, authorities maintained that their investigations, assisted by international law enforcement agents, were progressing.
But over the last few days police were also dogged by allegations from the mother of one of the boys that officers who interrogated her son, Deangelo Dorval, had allegedly used intimidation tactics to force him to confess to wrongdoing.
But police strenuously denied the charges.
Dorval is believed to have been one of the boys charged today, along with three others. His mother, Brenda Roberts, had said this week that he was Jake’s best friend and the two boys had reportedly been working on a school project the day before he was reported missing.
Police this week narrowed in on a wooded area near Tivoli Gardens, where Dorval lives with his mother, saying only that the area had “evidential” value.
Last week police announced that they had one person in custody, only identified as a Bahamian male. Later, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade, who heads the investigation, said police had arrested a number of other persons.
Seventeen days after Jake’s disappearance, Mackinson Colas, 11, vanished, reportedly while he was running an errand for his mother.
More than 10 days later, DeAngelo Mckenzie, 13, suffered the same fate. He was last seen on his way to the Jack Hayward High School. Then in June, Junior Reme joined the list of mysterious disappearances.
The oldest of the boys and latest victim, Desmond Rolle, 14, was reported missing on September 28.
The case has gripped Grand Bahama communities with fear and garnered the attention of the international media
By Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
