By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (June 2022) — A prisoner who escaped police custody twice in under a month has been held by residents before police were called to collect him in the Godwin Ghaut community, after being on the run for seven days shy of a month. Back behind bars at Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) is 20-year-old Jesus Valdez, a resident of Market Street in Basseterre who hails from the Dominican Republic. A police press release issued on Saturday 11th June 2022 stated: “Police Officers responded to a report sometime after 6 p.m. on Thursday June 9, 2022, and left to assist residents in the Godwin Ghaut area who had detained escaped prisoner Jesus Valdez.”
It was outlined that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Valdez for the offence of Escaping Lawful Confinement. In his first on-the-run incident, Valdez had escaped from HMP on April 14 while on remand for assault, was captured on April 30 after 16 days, then escaped again on May 16 — only 15 days after his recapture. He was on the run for approximately 24 days before being detained by members of the public in Godwin Ghaut on June 9. The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and Her Majesty’s Prison thanked members of the public and media houses who assisted with this matter.