Several farmers in the Three Hills community of St Mary are protesting the arrest of the Three Hills Farmers Association president, Denise McCain, a deputy superintendent of police, who was arrested and charged by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) last week.

DSP McCain was charged with obtaining money by false pretence and fraudulent conversion.

However, farmers from the community insist that the superintendent is not guilty. There appears to be a division among farmers in Three Hills and it is surmised that this is what led to the arrest and charge of the senior policewoman.

Member of Parliament for Western St Mary Joylan Silvera told the Jamaica Observer that there are two groups in the community with another person also claiming to be leader of the Three Hills Benevolent Association.

He said the relevant government ministries have been contacted and that matter is now before the attorney general.

“It’s an ongoing situation; every time we try to move forward we find out that there are obstacles. Presently, the obstacle lies within the attorney general’s office,” Silvera said.

Meanwhile, the members of the Three Hills Farmers Association are adamant that McCain is their president and so should not have faced the charges brought against her.

“The group charged Mrs McCain with embezzlement of funds through an unregistered group, but we know our group is registered and she is our president,” said Paul Reid, a member of the group. He added that DSP McCain is the third president of the Three Hills Farmers Group.

“She is the one who got the group registered,” he stated. “Ms McCain is not guilty of it; she has shown us the copy of the registration documents,” Reid insisted, stating that the original document has a seal.

Members of the group contend that McCain was granted permission by the Ministry of Agriculture to do survey and to allocate plots of farmlands to residents.

“The farmers made down payments so that the surveyors could be paid and then to enter into a sales agreement with the government… the government would then decide what the lots cost and then we will make the additional payments,” group member Ricardo Moncrieff told the Observer.

“Now Ms McCain is being questioned about the legitimacy of her collecting the money under the heading of the Three Hills Farmers Association. We know that the group is registered. We decided to make down payments on the lands so that the lands could be surveyed,” Moncrieff said, adding that each person was given a receipt and lot number.

The farmers said they were surprised by the arrest and charge of the policewoman. They believe that since McCain was arrested, the other person who is still collecting money and distributing lots should also be charged.

“If Mrs McCain was charged for collecting money to have lands being surveyed, why are other entities collecting money and they are not being charged?” Moncrieff questioned.

According to one farmer, lands assigned to people are being occupied by others who also claim that they have a right to the properties.

“People are afraid of going on lands they have made down payments on because they are being bullied by persons who also claim to have a right to these properties,” Moncrieff said.

— Renae Dixon