Four charged in Nut Grove police raid

Four of the seven family members detained in a police raid over the weekend have been charged for alleged criminal offences, including gun and ammunition possession.
The accused are Richard “Joe” Tweed, 41, Kyle Francis, 24, Malcolm Tweed, 49 and Melissa Ferrance, 23, all of Nut Grove. If convicted, they can be jailed for up to two years following the recent amendment of the Firearms Act.
The quartet was at home when police executed a search warrant at the house for illegal items.
The accused were taken before Magistrate Conliffe Clarke yesterday in the St. John’s Magistrates’ Court and remanded to St. John’s Police Station, at least until Monday.
Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Frankie Thomas said lawmen need more time to conduct further investigation and other charges are likely to be filed in relation to the unlicensed gun and ammunition found.
On Saturday, officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department, Narcotics, K-9 and Rapid Response Units searched the Nut Grove property and found a 9-mm pistol and a matching round of ammunition.
Two bulletproof vests, camouflage clothing, and clothing with “police” printed on them, electronic equipment, and an undisclosed sum of money were found.
The items were seized, and police detained everyone who was at the home at the time of the raid, including an ailing woman who was recently released from the Mount St. John’s Medical Centre.
Yesterday, police said the other three detainees were released based on information received during their investigation that suggests those relatives were not involved.