Police officer testifies about discovery of multiple guns, ammo in St George bar

Almost 30 police officers entered the Survivor’s Bar in Roach Village, St George in the early morning hours of October 6, 2018, to execute a search warrant which netted firearms and ammunition.

This was part of the evidence given by Inspector Dwayne Griffith as the trial against Dennis Alphonso Maynard got underway in the No. 3 Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Maynard is accused of possession of a .40 semi-automatic pistol, a .22 semi-automatic pistol, 39 rounds of ammunition and 1.25 grammes of cannabis on October 6, 2018.

Inspector Griffith, who was attached to the Criminal Investigations Department’s Anti-Guns and Gangs Unit at the time of the investigation, told the court that based on information received, a warrant was granted to search the bar. It was executed around 2:30 a.m. as some patrons were in the establishment.

Griffith said he approached the accused and gave him a copy of the warrant, which he appeared to read before telling police to proceed.

During the search, lawmen discovered a blue plastic bag which contained three boxes with the markings ‘Federal Law Enforcement Ammunition’, 14 12-gauge shotshell cartridges, 16 rounds of .40 calibre ammunition, four rounds of .22 ammunition, five rounds of 9mm calibre ammunition, one black and silver Beretta .40 pistol, one black Taurus .22 pistol, two magazines, and tissue containing cannabis.

During cross-examination of the police witness, Senior Counsel Andrew Pilgrim, who is representing the accused, asked whether the establishment was crowded when the police entered. Griffith said while there were people present, the bar was not crowded and the room was lit. He testified that 28 police personnel entered the establishment, some in plain clothes and others in uniform.

Responding to Pilgrim’s questions, he denied that people began fleeing when the officers entered. Questioned further, he admitted that two people were apprehended outside the bar in a bushy area and were searched. One was found to be in possession of a firearm while the other was carrying a quantity of cannabis.

Police Constable Elton Prescott of the Forensic Scenes of Crime Unit also produced photo evidence during the proceedings. He testified that he had checked the firearms for fingerprints, but none had been found. In addition, he said no DNA testing was conducted on either the firearms or ammunition.

Principal State Counsel Neville Watson and State Counsel Treann Knight are representing the state in the matter.

The trial continues on Thursday.