RETREAT, Westmoreland – The Westmoreland police have charged three men in connection with threats made against Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Western, Morland Wilson.

All three men have been charged with common assault. They are Tian Samuels, who turned himself in to the police Wednesday afternoon, Omar “Country” Bunny who was picked up at a school on Tuesday afternoon and Mikel McCoy.

McCoy has also been slapped with other charges after allegedly attempting to block the Savanna-la-Mar to Negril road in Retreat on Wednesday morning.

“One of the three, incidentally, was in the act of putting debris on the road this morning and was arrested by the police. Based on his identity, we recognised that he was one of the three that we were looking for,” stated the officer in charge of operations for the Westmoreland Police Division, Deputy Superintendent Adrian Hamilton.

“He was charged with additional charges of breaching the Solid Waste Act, impeding free movement along the public thoroughfare and disorderly conduct,” added DSP Hamilton.

The three men were charged on Wednesday afternoon and given station bail with surety in the sum of $50,000. They have been given a July 25 court date.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, Observer Online had reported that charges were pending against the men. While the police did not name the individual who had been threatened, Wilson confirmed that the threat had been made against him during a boisterous protest by residents upset that Retreat had been without piped water for three weeks.

By mid-afternoon, however, MP Wilson told the Observer that he would not be pursuing the matter in court. While he had initially taken the threats seriously, he explained, residents later assured him that he was not actually in danger.

“I have been speaking with residents from last evening into this morning from the community and they continue to assure me, as they say in Jamaica, it is just more talk. And, on that basis, I won’t be proceeding with any charges towards the three individuals who were identified,” Wilson said then.

The comments, he said, had included threats to his life and personal safety and warnings for him not to return to Retreat. However, he appeared to accept the threats as just a part of the challenges that come with being in representational politics.

However, on Wednesday evening DSP Hamilton stressed the gravity of the issue and said the police force has fulfilled its job by charging the men who allegedly made the threats against the MP.

“The police have no jurisdiction in not putting a matter before the court. We are not going to pervert the course of justice. We have laid the charges, are going to put it before the court and then let the court decide,” DSP Hamilton explained.

While sources have suggested that politics is behind what is happening in the constituency, the police are of the view that Tuesday’s protest was unrelated to the lack of water. Wilson agrees with that assessment. He said illegal conduct is at the heart of the problem.

“There are several other things happening and persons would have been thinking that it is related to the incident on Saturday and it is not. I have heard of robberies taking place and the police are currently investigating. I have heard of persons being intimidated and this is all part of the lawlessness which ensues,” said the MP who was elected on a governing Jamaica Labour Party ticket.

“Those [incidents] absolutely have no relation to the incident on Saturday,” he added.