Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hattieville Prison, Oscar Puga, 32, who allegedly took three inmates on an illegal Saturday night jaunt, was charged with 3 counts of contempt of a judicial order and 1 count of willfully allowing a prisoner to escape when he appeared in the #2 Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, November 27.
No plea was taken from him for the second charge because the Director of Public Prosecutions, Lutchman Sooknandan, is yet to decide if it will be tried on indictment.
Senior Magistrate Mrs. Dorothy Flowers offered Puga bail of $6,000, which he met. His case was adjourned until January 30, 2008.
Puga was represented in court by attorney Michael Peyrefitte.
The incident occurred around 10:35 p.m. on Saturday, November 24.
Acting on information from the prison’s Executive Duty Officer, Inspector Aranda, a team of police officers, headed by Sergeant Petillo, drove to the police checkpoint at Mile 4 on the Western Highway and intercepted a green Jimmy SUV with license plates C-28427.
The police reported that the driver of the Jimmy was Taejron Bennett, 27, one of two inmates who are on remand for the murder of the Brannon brothers, Phillip and Kevin, who were shot and killed on Mothers Day, May 14, 2006.
Joseph Kee, 29, the second person charged jointly with Bennett, was also in the vehicle. Kee was in the back seat, with another inmate, Harry Trapp, who is serving a sentence of 25 years for manslaughter, reported the police.
Puga, who was in the front passenger seat, reportedly informed the police that a 9-millimetre pistol was in the vehicle.
The inmates were returned to prison and Puga was taken into police custody
Puga is a former Inspector of Police. He began working at the prison about two years ago. In his position as Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Puga had the authority to visit the prison at any time to make security checks.
It is believed that this is not an isolated incident, that certain well-heeled inmates, for some years now, regularly receive special privilege to leave the prison on weekends and sometimes during the week. The prisoners not only are allowed to leave the prison for partying, we are told, but also to pick up prostitutes to take back to the prison.