..................................An Artist impression of a predatorThe discovery:
It was between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm (my memory does not afford me the privilege of specifically remember which day of the week it was,) I was dispatched to the Junction of Front and Queen Street, Pembroke Parish to investigate a single vehicle accident. On my arrival to the location I saw a young man who was injured and a motorcycle at the scene; my inquiries revealed that the operator of the vehicle had left the scene; the pinion rider and the motorcycle were abandon by the rider of the cycle. Later the operator of the cycle was apprehended by two of my colleagues. These two young men were accompanied by a young lady who became concerned for the safety of her injured friend and called the police.
After the injured man refused medical care and he had regained his composure, I invited him to the Hamilton Police Station, an invitation which he accepted. This young man was appreciatively conveyed him to the Hamilton Police Station by the police. I also invited the young lady to the Hamilton Police Station for two reasons:
- She was a witness to an event that the police were investigating and so important evidential information can be obtained form her,
- She was very willing to cooperate with the police. When requested, the young lady offered a written statement.
While I was in the process of recording the young lady’s statement I was summoned into the office by my supervisor. While there I saw the pinion rider who was just moments ago very much composed, lying on the office floor, I was informed that he collapsed on the floor and fell into a deep sleep. I confirmed that the young man was indeed sleeping because of the loud consistent snoring sound that he made.
The young man was then removed from the sergeant’s office and put in a safe place where he enjoyed a supervised recovery from what appear to be a drug induced sleep.
I then returned to the young lady in order to complete the statement I was in the process of recording. While there and without any prior warning the young lady vomited on the floor, she requested to use the bathroom and was allowed to do so.
While I was awaiting the young lady’s return from the washroom my colleagues arrived at the Hamilton Police Station with the operator of the motorcycle which was involved it the accident. As the officer who was investigating this matter I listened as the arresting officers updated the custody Sergeant of the circumstances which led this young man’s apprehension. Without any prior indication of what followed, I saw the young man who appeared to be a little confused collapsed to the floor in the Sergeant’s office and also fell into a deep sleep. He was also place in a secure and supervised place where he was allowed to sleep off what also appeared to be an alcohol induced sleep.
After waiting for several minutes for the young lady to complete her bathroom activities, I concluded that she was spending an unusually long time in the washroom. I then requested that one of my female colleagues inquire as to the status of our female witness who had requested to use the police washroom. After rapping on the bathroom door and the use of voice to generate a reply/response fail to accomplish its desired effects, the female officer opened the washroom door; there she discovered the young lady fell asleep on the bathroom floor; she also noticed that she had also vomited all over the small room.
It is important to note that each of these youth that was involved in this incident appear to be sober and cohesive moments before they collapsed. It was the first time I have ever experienced or witnessed an individual progressed from what appear to be a state of sobriety to full intoxication in less than thirty seconds. So much so that they fell into what appear to be a deep alcohol/drug induced sleep.
This whole event aroused my suspicions and fears. My inquiries revealed that there were two similar and separate occurrences which were witnessed by other officers a month before. I immediately send out an email to all personnel informing them of my observation and request that anyone encountering any such occurrence must inform me of such. I also requested that the officer try to solicit from the victim information of his or her recent activities, which would include but not limited to, the use of drugs, alcohol, or any other intoxicant; the premises they attend and the activities they got involved in while there etc.
I wanted to see it such occurrences were reasons for concern, if it was I would have had information which would have affored me the ability to pick up any trends, that might have been associated with this dangerous occurrences. My first incline was someone was introducing a new drug into Bermuda and they were engaging in the soon to be very lucrative process of developing their clientele by unknowingly lacing food and drink with the addictive substance; hence the people who had ingested the substance (that induced their rapid unexplained intoxication) did so ignorant of the fact that they were being drugged.
If you have ever witnessed, heard of or know of anyone who was involved in any such or similar events please let me know about it?
The Christmas season is the perfect time of the year to unknowingly cause or develop and addiction in an individual. At Christmas, most of us are often in a festive or celebratory frame of mind and it is this mood that makes each person vulnerable to those that prey on the unsuspecting innocent people (especially the youths) in our community. You have got to once again become your brother’s keeper. The worst thing of all is the fact that the parasites are normally the respected or society’s elite; Isn’t it a shame.
