A man has appeared in court in connection with an armed heist of a delivery vehicle that led to the killing of three suspected bandits in Talparo last Friday.
Serdon Atwell, 34, of Todd’s Road, Talparo, stood before a Chaguanas magistrate earlier today to answer charges of possession of ammunition, two counts of robbery with aggravation and one count of malicious damage of the vehicle. He was granted $200,000 bail on the robbery charges and $80,000 bail on the malicious damage charge. He will reappear before an Arima magistrate today to answer the charge of possession of ammunition, after that charge was transferred to that court’s jurisdiction.
Atwell was arrested on Friday after surrendering to police. Since then, police had been trying to confirm if he was connected to the robbery directly, or was a reluctant accomplice when the men showed up at his door armed and with the stolen goods, as his relatives and neighbours had claimed.
On Tuesday night he was charged with the robbery offences by Longdenville police, while he was charged with possession of ammunition at the Cumuto Police Station yesterday.
Since Friday, Atwell’s pitbull has prowled his residence with his family unsure when its owner would be home. When they had not heard about charges against him up to yesterday morning, they were convinced he was not necessarily in league with the three dead men - Kareem Welch and his cousins Colin Welch and Dion Caldon.
His relatives continued to state his innocence yesterday.
“He didn’t know what was going on, and by the time he realise what was happening they jack him up and tell to stay quiet,” said a relative who did not want to be identified.
Last Friday, two men announced a hold-up at Papa James Cafe, a mini-mart in Talparo. They stole cash, a delivery van stacked with cigarettes and a security guard’s pistol. Following the robbery, they took the van to a dead end off La Gloria Road, where they cut a hole in the vehicle and pulled the items from the van.
Residents said police appeared to track the items using a signal of some sort to a house in the area. There, the three suspected bandits lost their lives in a shootout. Police said six rounds of ammunition were found in the house.
The autopsies for the three men were conducted on Monday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James.
Almost a week after last week’s gunplay, Talparo reverted to the quiet calm usually associated with the community yesterday. The few people the T&T Guardian encountered said they knew little about Kareem Welch and his cousins Colin Welch and Dion Caldon.
“Talparo is a really quiet area. What happened Friday is a once in a blue moon thing,” said a resident who asked not to be identified.
Most said all they knew about the three men was that they hailed from Brazil Village, a community some 10 kilometres north of Talparo.
Atwell will reappear in the Chaguanas Magistrate Court next Wednesday.