Four individuals detained by the police were released today, two of whom were charged with criminal offenses whilst the others were released without charge.
Popular vlogger Lynworth (Mystelics) Mitchell of Portsmouth, and videographer/photographer Jawanza Stuart of Castle Comfort, who were arrested by the police on March 3, 2021, have been released without being charged.
According to the police, Mitchell and Stuart were detained at Morne Daniel near Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s official residence after an incident involving an unmanned aerial vehicle commonly referred to as a drone.
The men were said to have been flying their equipment over the Prime Minister’s official residence and were detained after they tried to retrieve the drone, which the police say, had fallen on Mr. Skerrit’s farm near his official residence.
However, after two days in police custody, Mitchell and Stuart were released sometime after 5:00 p.m. today without any charges being brought against them as the matter is still under investigation, according to the police.
Following their release, Stuart, who complained of feeling unwell, was taken to the Dominica China Friendship Hospital.
Mitchell thanked their supporters.
“I want to say a big thank you. The kind of things people come up with just to try to oppress or intimidate you, it is you to know yourself and to know the laws of Dominica, that is the most important thing,” he remarked.
The men were detained on suspicion of espionage. However, Mitchell denied having committed such a crime and said there is no footage of the Prime Minister’s residence on his device.
“They had no idea what they were arresting us for. When we reached there I was talking to my lawyer on the phone and when we asked what we were being arrested for, the officer said suspicion of suspicion which made no sense…and the next day they told us about espionage,” Mitchell revealed.
In explaining the reason for their presence in Morne Daniel on the day in question he said, “we went to Morne Daniel to do a shot of a house which is just a few feet away from the Prime Minister’s official residence. So after we were done filming our stuff we did an overall shot because we needed to provide the client with a birds-eye view of what the area looks like so that’s what we did.”
Mitchell said he is not intimidated by the police and is willing to assist in their investigation.
Also released from police custody today were Loretta Julien and Davidson “Pyro” Julien.
The pair were apprehended yesterday following a scuffle involving the police and another protester.
After the incident, they were arrested and charged with battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, obstruction and failure to use a mask.
They were both granted station bail in the sum of $5,000.00 each to appear in court on March 9, 2021.
They also stated that they intend to seek justice as they claim to have been unlawfully arrested, threatened and beaten by the police.
I hope these guys get themselves a good lawyer and file for wrongful arrest. These wilful arrest by the militia ordered by Skerrit have to stop.
Under the present unscrupulous and despotic rule of the present squatter in the office of prime minister, every single one of the country’s most respected and revered institution has been castrated and made useless instruments.
The Police Force, Parliament, Court, Electoral Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Office of the President, Speaker of Parliament, Financial Secretary Position, Permanent Secretary. Positions, DPP Office. Nothing has escaped the corrupt tentacles of this inarticulate, poorly educated, notoriously cold blooded imposter.
Everything is at floor level because of this despot’s gross incompetence. The standard of living, minimum wage, economic and infrastructural developments,, sports, entertainment, etc.
Dominicans, come on! Stand up and try something else.
Dominica has had a seismic shift from a bona fide DEMOCRACY to a police state of AUTOCRACY since Roosevelt Skerrit took the mantle of leadership as prime minister.
I dare any one of Mr. Skerrit’s diehard disciples to refute these FACTS:
*CORRUPTION in government abounds
*POLICE BRUTALITY has multiplied on an alarming scale
* Dominicans have been murdered in police custody
*WRONGFUL ARRESTS have become common
*The TEARGASSING of peaceful protesters and communities is normal
It’s no wonder that crime , poverty, political tribalism, corruption, despair, stress, anxiety, NCDs, crudity, all these have escalated exponentially to present an existential threat to lives of 70 000 people.
This morning i listen to the PM on his talk show talk about they broke the law, and nowhere in the world can you do that, the whitehouse is a no fly zone blablabla. Now 1. we have no drone laws in drominica, thats why these men were not charged, and SKerrit is saying ordinances and legislature will be quickly developed (always reactionary never ever proactive). 2. Nowhere in Morne Daniel are there any restricted area signs (EXCEPT at the Chinese and possibly the Cuban embassies), or fences or indications informing anyone that that is where the PM lives. So a foreigner can come in today and never know who lives there unless someone tells him personally. The whitehouse is famous, heavily gated and guarded with significant perimiter and has visible signs for those who dont know they are at the whitehouse. so that argument to me has no merit. Again, NO law was broken (because there is none), that is why the young men were released when the “espionage” charge itself had absolutely no…
That story just getting more and more different the more i hear it. First it fell in the Chinese embassy, next it fell on the road near the farm, now we hearing it fell in the farm. I would really love to see the footage from that from to know exactly what happened. I hope the police didnt decide they confiscating it. Jawanza!! Mystellics!!! post the video!
Pyro and Loretta now being charged for battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and failure to wear a mask. Failure to wear a mask..how many people walking around roseau not wearing a mask? especially on the promenade. Ive seen ministers wearing their mask on their chin or not at all. Police on patrol not in masks.
It’s amazing how the Roosevelt Skerrit police Force is putting all their efforts to make criminals out of good citizens with no criminal history or wanted nowhere for crimes, while they are in bed with known wanted criminals that they trying to protect. See how they were in bed with a known wanted criminal like Alireza Monfared, who is now in jail in Iran for 20 years. See how they were hiding him here for six months riding government vehicles with government ministers and government officials. Did they not know he was a wanted criminal? In fact while wanted for high level crimes it was Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit that told the nation that Monfared was a good gentleman from Malaysia, who loved Dominica and wanted to help us. Yet the so called good gentleman was a damn known wanted criminal running from justice. Did any top level Dominican partake in his crimes and knows his day is coming? Is that who the police protecting as they try to make criminals of good Dominicans?
One thing I know for sure is that when the Evil one, is picked up by the US there will be charges and no lawyer or police will be able to help him out. I am off course referring to that very corrupt man, who has corrupted Dominica and the police force. I will live it to you to guess who that wanted corrupt one is.
Mystellics should be very careful. Flying his drone over the Prime Minister’s residence as near an embassy. Dont be naive. People use people for various things. Who is the client he was doing the bird’s eye view for? A day like today and with the Chinese in that area you have to be careful and requesting permission to have your drone flown if you were doing it in GOOD faith. Someone can pay for this and you do not know who they are – you are NOT are trained intelligence anything – BECAREFUL people.
If the Chinese Embassy is near by you need to know China is a super power nation and is dealing with countries like the US and Russia etc. People who deal with and know various Spying tools and technology and techniques Their embassy in Dominica IS CHINA and they have all right to protect their property. The area with the Leader of the opposition living there, Prime Minister, Chinese embassy or diplomats and likely other diplomats this place people should not be allowed to do this
You are talking utter tosh, Roosevelt.
They lucky in trinidad and Tobago they would have been dead. No way you could be on the official residence of the prime minister without authorization. The police would have shot to kill then ask questions after. They very lucky
I livin in Venezuela,cuba or China…which one….it have a generation dat coming up there dat will not be easy to oppress dat younger than mystelics….. continue trying still…. continue chavismo
I am happy that you have been released without charge, Lynworth, not necessarily for you, but for your mother. As I previously advise, there is nothing wrong with commenting on government faults but the gross misrepresentation you publish will get you in trouble. By all means support your UWP. I respect the principled stance that your father took when all of Portsmouth were labourites and it’s good if you want to carry it on. However, do so with pride and dignity. Not with lies for hype for your vlogs. Honestly, they were even more popular before you went into this type of politics. I stopped viewing and so did many other people I know.
Get yourself together and get back to the good work you were doing.
Detained on suspicion of being suspicious… yes I only in Dominica
I read this comic plot with wry humour as this has made obviously clear that Roosevelt Skerrit has become a prisoner of the ruthless zealots that are guarding him. They realise that the loss of their golden goose would mean the end of their career and their privileges so that goose must be shielded and pampered at all cost. These goons are nothing without their prized prisoner and the pong that surrounds him. I do not envy Roosevelt but pity him, locked up like that and watched every minute of the night and day. But golden or not, goose does not live for ever either, certainly not when goose stops laying and turns into a lame duck.
Dominica Is Bizarrely Unique!
*It is one of the poorest countries in the sub-region but has the richest PM.
*You can be arrested in the best of health and in less than 24 hours you are taken to the morgue in a body bag.
*In the darkness hours of the night when you least expect you can be subjected to multiple canisters of teargas.
*Just walking outside the tax payers funded multi-million dollar residence of the prime minister in Morne Daniel can get you locked away in a prison to moan for days then release without being charged.
*You can break the COVID protocols with impunity if you are politically well connected.
Living in Dominica under the present stressful conditions caused by an incompetent and cold blooded plutocracy is hazardous to your wellbeing.
You see it everywhere now, people who are so devoted to worshiping political leaders that they’ll do anything including violating someone’s human rights. Know the law, understand it so you can better protect yourself. Espionage? Really? What state secrets that are up in morne Daniel? Ppl wake up!
The Dominica police should protect and serve the public but they torment and torture.
From the statements made by Mr. Mitchell, the initial reasons given by the police for the arrest of the two gentlemen are unadulterated lies. The police have caught Skerrititis ( compulsive lying).
The misleader is acting paranoid. The police are using brute force, false assertions, illegal arrest, unlawful detention to intimidate the public into complete submission.
Non violent, stubborn resistance and a ground swell of public disobedience (no destruction) must be employed by civil society to rid Dominica of this authoritarianism.
Dominica today is officially a Police State. There can be no doubt about that. Let’s not forget the Dominican police along with some regional forces teargased a sleeping community in the unholy hours of the early morning under the cover of darkness. Karma will be hard at work sooner than these satanic forces expect.
She was charged for failure to use a mask as well?
Is this the first lady to be charged for such?
Every day on busses, in business places (some), on the streets, funerals, everywhere people talk to each other in their faces, similar to how people communicated when they were on the river side activities around the new market when the streets were blocked for days. Police goons were partaking in the avtivities. I heard of no charge for not wearing masks…..
What a shameful CDPF force.
Must be the worst in the region.
Political misfits!!!
Is it true that the police ransacked the homes of Stuart and Mitchell and took several videos and other equipment with them without the guys knowing what was taken from their homes?
I hope Stuart who is alleged to have been feeling unwell makes it out alive from the DCFH?
I don’t know the circumstances regarding the flying of the drone… If the guys acted irresponsibly then they are wrong.
If the actions of the Police was to oppress and intimidate then the police is wrong.
I will wait to hear the out come… But POLICE brutality, intimidation and oppression must end NOW.
Did the militia have a search warrant signed by a judge??
It’s so shsmeful to see what the CDPF has become..Many exemplary past officers who built a well respected force must be turning in their graves. What we now have as a police force are largely semi illiterates who Parl reps recruited as officers. Highly illdisciplined, imbicilic, and stupid, doing the dirty work of the father of deceipt, thievery and deception.
The intimidatoty tactics is not, and will not work!! Next week come talk to the citizens about community policing..!Jack ass… !
All I have to say about this injustice and the Dominicans and police officers who abuse the system and condone these acts because of their allegiance to a party, ” NOTHING LAST FOR EVER AND YOU ALL HAVE CHILDREN”