BELNAVIS GIVES DETAILS OF ATTACK
PORT MARIA, St Mary; Feb 7, 2025
The Police have charged a man with the wounding of Mayor of St Ann’s Bay Michael Belnavis at an apartment in Oracabessa Monday, January 20, 25
Charged is 34-year-old Chad Thomas of Ramble, Oracabessa, St Mary.
Thomas has been charged with house-breaking, wounding with intent, and malicious destruction of property.
There are various reports of how the Mayor came to be chopped at his partly furnished unoccupied apartment between Boscobel and Oracabessa in St Mary. He was treated at St Ann’s Bay Hospital for chop wounds including to the head. His alleged attacker was admitted there under police guard with a gunshot wound to the chest, the North Coast Times has been reporting. That man has now been chared.
(Michael Belnavis, chairman of the St Ann’s Bay Hospital Management Committee at a media briefing with Minister of Health Dr Chris Tufton Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025)
In an Instagram post on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said “Thomas is accused of breaking into the mayor’s property and then chopping him several times when he was ordered to leave. Thomas was shot and injured in the incident.”
This is the first official report issued by the police into the incident that has drawn widespread comments across the North Coast. In a period of nearly two weeks, they have refused to give any information or confirm details from journalists. Several unanswered questions remain.
The North Coast Times reported Wednesday night that Mr Belnavis has been back at work since Tuesday, February 4 and that police were holding an ID parade to advance the case.
On Wednesday, Mayor Belnavis told a local internet radio station, Rebel Radio, that he was doing well. In a 25-minute interview with Desmond Richards he gave details about the attack at his apartment on the beach at Oracabessa.
Here is a snippet of the interview Mr Belnavis gave to the CEO of Rebel Radio Desmond Richards.
