Diaz – I have paid my debt to society

Paul’s Avenue resident, Naphtali Diaz is considering legal action against the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force for what he says is character assassination.{{more}}

Diaz is one of eight men whose mug shot appears in a police press release in relation to a series of robberies committed recently in and around Kingstown.

The press release, dated Friday, December 2, stated that the men are of interest to the police and may be considered armed and dangerous.

“When I saw the evening news on Friday (December 2) that I was wanted in connection with robberies in Kingstown, I was shocked. I know I hadn’t done anything wrong. So how could they say I am considered armed and dangerous?” Diaz pointed out to SEARCHLIGHT on December 7.

The young man said the following day he turned himself into the police and went to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), where he was held for two days and released without being charged.

Not hiding the fact that he has a checkered past, marked with several run-ins with the law, Diaz reiterated that he has done nothing wrong.

“When I saw it say that I was a wanted man, I thought it was probably a mistake or something. I saw it in the newspapers on Tuesday that I was wanted, so I wanted to know what was really going on,” Diaz added.

He is of the belief that the police have a personal vendetta against him.

“It’s like they have something against me for no reason. I wasn’t questioned in relation to the things they say I was wanted on and they placing me with these men as if we are in a gang or something. Most of these men are from Edinboro and Ottley Hall,” he firmly said.

“This is really a defamation of my character. I can’t even walk the streets with my head up…This is just making my prospects of reforming in this society non-existent.”

Diaz said he has already spoken to an attorney about the matter and has been guided accordingly.

“I have paid my debt to society. I am a national of this country, too. I still have my rights. So now, I have a past and I know people are watching me to see if I’m a reformed individual, and when they keep arresting me for things that I know nothing about, people going to say me ain’t changing at all,” Diaz said.

For 2011, Diaz said he was picked up, questioned and released in relation to nearly every robbery that took place in Kingstown.

“They locking me up nearly every weekend. People going just think is me doing them thing here,” stated Diaz.

Diaz also made a call for the police to be more thorough when investigating their matters before arresting people.

“They (police) need to follow protocols. Everything must follow a protocol. If you are going to post a picture of a man for armed robbery, you should at least have something on him first,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Renold Haddway, on Wednesday, told SEARCHLIGHT that these men were just of interest to the police and that their names did not surface because of persons identifying them.

He said eyewitnesses had given descriptions similar to one or two of the persons in the mug shots, in relation to some of the robberies, but nothing was confirmed.

He said four of the eight men had been picked up.

However, Haddaway stated that there was no indication about their involvement in any of the robberies and the men have since been released.