PORT ANTONIO, Portland — One of three men who are to appear before the court on February 1 after being held in this parish has been linked to late St Andrew-based gangster Christopher “Dog Paw” Linton.

According to the police, he was being sought in connection with six cases of shooting in that division. He has since been handed over to the St Andrew Central Police, pending further investigations.

The three men were held on December 7 during a traffic stop by the Port Antonio police. According to lawmen, a Desert Eagle 9mm pistol with a magazine containing 11 cartridges was found after the Nissan motor car in which the men were travelling was searched. Their names are being withheld as one of them is to face an identification parade.

The men, who are being represented by attorney Karl McDonald, all pleaded not guilty when they appeared in the Portland Parish Court on December 20 to answer charges in connection with the items said to have been found in the car.

All three were offered bail under condition that they surrender their travel documents, a stop order was made to prevent them from leaving the country, and they report to the Papine Police Station at stipulated times. They were told to return to court on February 1. However, it was later established that one of the men had a connection to Dog Paw who was, at one time, Jamaica’s most wanted man.

Linton, who police say was involved in several serious crimes before he was sent to prison and continued on that path after his release in April 2021, was shot dead by cops on John Golding Road in Elletson Flats on October 11, 2021 in what was reported as a firefight with police.

The police had reported that a team of lawmen was searching for a grey vehicle with armed men. In the process, they intercepted a vehicle which had a female driver and a male passenger. Police said they instructed the occupants to exit the car when 35-year-old Linton reportedly exited the vehicle, pointing a firearm at cops. The police stated that they opened fire at Linton. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital of the West Indies.

He was buried on December 31, 2021 in a service muted by the heavy presence of police and soldiers who blanketed the area amid reports of a plan to parade his body through Tavern and neighbouring communities in St Andrew ahead of his interment at Dovecot Memorial Park in St Catherine.

Some area residents expressed displeasure that Dog Paw’s send-off was not what they had hoped for.

As news emerged of the nabbed man’s alleged connection to Dog Paw, Superintendent of police in charge of the Portland Division Kenneth Chin urged residents to cooperate with lawmen in tackling crime.

“We urge the residents of Portland to continue being vigilant and bring to the attention of the police suspicious or strange persons or activities in and around the communities. Please continue to work with us as we make all efforts to make Portland the safest parish in Jamaica,” he said.

— Everard Owen