THE man who burnt a number of houses in Bellrock, St Andrew, due to frustration caused by his girlfriend’s infidelity is still on the run from the police almost one month later.

Commanding officer for the St Andrew South police, Superintendent Damion Manderson told the Jamaica Observer that despite numerous operations aimed at nabbing the culprit who is now wanted in two police divisions, cops have found it difficult to locate him. Manderson believes he is being protected by relatives and friends.

The arsonist is wanted in the St Andrew South and St Andrew North police divisions.

“We have done several operations in and outside of the division and other activities. We have not been able to locate him. Primarily, it is because there are people in our society who seem to get a kick from colluding with and shielding criminal elements. It is quite evident that this is a young man who has done atrocious acts in burning down an entire section of a community, sending threats to citizens and family members, and a host of other crimes,” Manderson said.

The police superintendent said the man “is wanted for various offences and he is known within the communities that we have laid out in time past. Yet still, the level of cooperation and support to have people dialling our confidential lines — 911 and 311 — or reaching out to someone like a pastor, a lawyer, or a justice of the peace to have him brought in has not gone as we would have anticipated”.

In spite of the challenges, Manderson told the Observer the police are confident they will have him in custody in due time.

“We are confident that in due time we will have him in custody,” he said.

The man in question got upset and set the house belonging to his girlfriend’s relatives on fire. The fire quickly spread to other dwellings nearby, eventually destroying them and displacing more than 30 people, including more than 10 children.

Bellrock is located in the constituency of St Andrew West Central, which is represented by Prime Minister Andrew Holness who, in a visit to the area in the aftermath of the fire, said that the full extent of the law must be brought against the culprit.

A few days after the news of his actions began to circulate on all media platforms the culprit phoned the Jamaica Observer and expressed his intention to give himself up to the police, but at the time said he was not ready to do so because he feared he would go mad in jail.

He said he was beyond frustrated because he worked very hard to support his girlfriend and claimed she was not only cheating on him but was giving his hard-earned money to another man.

“Me a try take these things off my mind before I bring myself in because I can’t go to jail with these things on my mind; I will go mad. When you are with somebody for long it is hard to just walk away. Every day I warned the girl, and I catch her doing what she is not supposed to do. I told her to stop doing what she was doing because she is going to make the devil come out of me. I warned her, and every time she said she was not doing nothing. A long time she a do this, enuh. It kinda hurt, because I go out there to look my own to come and give her.

“If she even have sex alone [with the other man] it wouldn’t burn me so; I know it’s my money she tek and give to boy. Dat lick up mi head and mi get dark like mi nuh have no sense. Dem thing deh hurtful. Jah know star, a just because mi get ignorant. When things hurt me a certain way I just get dark to a point where I don’t want to hear anything and I just do what I have to do. I have been warning this girl. I give her a lot of chances and let her know that nobody is perfect,” he said.