SMMC allegedly misdiagnosed shooting victim before airvac to Dominican Republic.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The third suspect in the Mahi Mahi investigation Levi Webster who was shot during the shooting at Westin Dawn Beach returned to St. Maarten on Wednesday after it was discovered in the Dominican Republic that the patient was misdiagnosed at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).
SMN News learnt in the beginning the shooting victim was shot in the head and there was a bullet lodged in his head, however, when the patient reached the Dominican Republic in turned out that Webster had a fractured skull and shortly after arriving in the Dominican Republic he was walking around the hospital compound.
According to information provided to SMN News states that when Webster arrived on St. Maarten he was taken before the judge of instruction since the prosecution wanted him detained. The source said the judge granted the prosecution their request, but when the suspect and former convict was taken to the Pointe Blanche house of detention a doctor there said the prisoner was not fit enough to remain in detention and as such the prosecution suspended Webster’s detention without placing any conditions, the possibility of even sending him back to the St. Maarten Medical Center was not even considered.
Research done by SMN News states that Webster just recently got out of prison after he was convicted in 2009 to 7 years and 9 months for an armed robbery that claimed the life of a man. Shortly after his release Webster was hired by Checkmate Security and was a supervisor/patrol for the security company.
SMN News even obtained information that while Webster was working for a company that is well known on St. Maarten that Webster was not even registered at SZV but the insurance company covered his expenses to and from St. Maarten.
SMN News contacted the press agent for the Prosecutor Office on St. Maarten Gino Bernadina who confirmed that the suspect returned to St. Maarten on Wednesday and that indeed his pretrial detention was suspended after a doctor at the prison said the suspect was not medically fit to be in custody. Asked if special conditions was placed on the suspect and if he is still a suspect, Bernadina said no conditions was added to the suspension of the detention but Levi remains a suspect. Actually Levi is free to do as he wishes, skip the island or check in at SMMC.
This move of course raised a number of question on the decisions taken by the prosecutor’s office and one wonders if there is ‘class or contact” justice on St. Maarten, since the suspect Karim Lake who had no prior convictions but is well known to police was taken from the St. Maarten Medical Center in his hospital robe less than 24 hours after he underwent surgery and took him before the judge of instruction then to Pointe Blanche prison since his pretrial detention was also extended.
In the prosecutor’s first press release they said that the two suspects, Karim Lake and Ambroise Joseph were held for their involvement in the shooting at Westin Dawn Beach Resort and money laundering. However, on Wednesday, when the prosecution sent out their bulletin the money laundering charge disappear and they said Lake is now in custody for having a large amount of counterfeit dollars.
EXCLUSIVE:-- Third suspect in Mahi Mahi investigation detention suspended without conditions.
