Man Wins $1.5 Million After Oracabessa Police Wrongfully Detain and Humiliate Him Over Missing Phone

Jamaica – What began as a simple act of kindness ended in fear, humiliation, and a years-long court battle for one St Mary man who says he was wrongfully locked up and abused by police officers at the Oracabessa Police Station nearly a decade ago.

The man, identified in court documents as J.D. Brown (name changed to protect identity), was awarded $1.5 million in damages by the Supreme Court following a lawsuit against the Government and four police officers for false imprisonment, assault, and breaches of his constitutional rights.

According to Brown’s affidavit, he went to the Oracabessa Police Station around July 8, 2016, to deliver food to a relative in custody. He said the cops on duty were “friendly” and he spent about 15 minutes chatting with them before returning home.

But only minutes later, Brown received a call that turned his night upside down.

A female cop, Constable Stephanie Harrison, allegedly called asking if he was the man who had just delivered food to the station. When he confirmed, her tone reportedly turned “angry and aggressive.”

The call dropped, and when Brown dialed back, a male officer answered, accusing him of stealing the female cop’s phone and threatening to “send a patrol fi me and throw me inna jail” if he didn’t return it.

Terrified, Brown went back to the station around 10:20 p.m., only to be surrounded by four cops — Constables Harrison, Rayon Anderson, Oliver Brown, and one identified only as Bailey. He said they searched him roughly, found nothing, and locked him up in a “filthy, smelly holding area.”

“Dem grab me up, drape me, and tell me me nah leave until me talk what happen to the phone,” Brown recalled in his affidavit.

He said the officers interrogated him harshly and hurled insults, calling him a “dutty thief.” One officer reportedly swung a baton within inches of his face to intimidate him. The ordeal allegedly lasted four and a half hours, until 3:50 a.m., when one of the cops told him he was being released “for now.”

Hours later, Brown said Constable Harrison called again — this time to apologize, saying they had found her missing phone.

Brown told Mckoy’s News he was never cautioned or told of his right to an attorney, and that the incident left him emotionally scarred and fearful of police to this day.

“Dem shoulda gi me more money,” Brown said after the ruling. “Remember say a dem wrong me totally. Me did innocent right through.”

The court awarded $600,000 for breaches of his constitutional rights, $200,000 for false imprisonment, and $250,000 for assault, with interest dating back to December 2016.

Attorney Obika Gordon, who represented Brown, explained that even though Brown was not physically beaten, the threats and intimidation were enough to constitute assault in law.

“Once somebody puts you in reasonable apprehension of fear, then you have been assaulted,” Gordon said.

Brown says despite the judgment, he still lives in fear, often moving between relatives’ homes to avoid encounters with the same officers.

“Mi cyaan stay one place,” he said quietly. “Mi still fear.”

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