Police charge West Bay teen over gun

(CNS): A West Bay teenager has been charged following the recovery of an illegal hand gun in the wake of a car smash last week. Sources have revealed that Robert Aaron Crawford, who was one of three men acquitted of the fatal shooting of Alrick Peddie just over four months ago, has been charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm after police apprehended him as he tried to escape from the scene of the crash on Esterly Tibbetts Highway at around 3am Friday. A police spokesperson confirmed Monday that a nineteen-year-old man will appear in court Tuesday over the weapon and ammunition found in the bushes close to where he was caught.

Crawford was one of two men arrested by officers from the Uniform Support Group after they followed what they said was a suspicious vehicle in the early hours of 18 November. The officers were on patrol in the area close to the Grand Pavilion, West Bay Road, when they noticed the car making off from the location. It drove along West Bay Road towards George Town and turned onto Esterly Tibbetts, where at a point close to the rear of the Ritz Carlton, the car collided with a road barrier. As the police approached the scene of the crash, two men ran away from the vehicle.

The officers pursued one of the men into the bush area and he was arrested when the gun and ammunition were found nearby. The weapon was not fired and no one was injured. The second man was arrested a short time later on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident and police said this man remains in police custody while enquiries continue.

Crawford’s co-defendant in the Peddie murder, Jose Sanchez, was arrested only days after he was acquitted for possession of an imitation firearm and was scheduled to face trial this week in connection to the incident outside a West Bay bar, but the trial was postponed on Monday. Sanchez remains in custody after breaking his bail conditions and has now spent the best part of the four months back in Northward since his release in the wake of the murder trial .

In April 2010 Crawford and Sanchez, along with Deward Roger Bush, were charged with the murder of Peddie, who was gunned down in broad daylight in a West Bay yard last year, and all three were remanded in custody. The men remained in jail for well over one year until their acquittal this summer.

Anyone who has information that could assist the police with this or any other crime is asked to contact George Town police station on 949-4222, the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777 or the confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477(TIPS).