Convicted Immigration Officer Part of Robbery Gang--- Grandson of Retired Police Officer Arrested--- Items found are from recent robberies.

MARIGOT--- With the recent spate of armed robberies on both sides of the island the gendarmes have arrested the daughter of a top ranking police officer, the young woman was also an immigration officer who was convicted some two years ago on falsification of immigration documents. Also in custody is the grand son of a retired police officer who is also part of the gang of robbers. The young woman was in a stolen vehicle that had on false number plate at the time of the arrest on Tuesday night. Also found inside the vehicle were a number of stolen items and ammunition. Prosecutor Jacques Louvier has identified the suspects as Valeska Simmons, Xavier Williams, Garvin Baptiste, and Michael Hassel all of the suspects Louvier said are adults and are between the ages of 20 to 24 all residents from the Dutch side.
Simmons was former immigration officer who was also arrested and convicted on the Dutch side of the Island for having being involved in the falsification of documents some two years ago.
Sources told SMN News that one of the youths is the grandson of a retired police officer who is now working with one of the commissioners. It is not yet clear if the two sides of the island would be conducting a joint investigation to see if the suspects were terrorizing residents from both sides of the island.
The Gendarmes managed to apprehend the four suspects who were driving in a stolen truck along the Belle Plaine Road. The four, three men and one woman had with them in the vehicle a number of stolen items from recent robberies as well as ammunition and an I-phone. According to a press release from the gendarmerie the owner of the vehicle spotted the truck when it passed the area and began pursuit. The man saw his vehicle about 11pm that night and he alerted the gendarmes who were at a check point controlling vehicles. The patrol in turn radioed his colleagues and the stopped the truck and conducted the search where the stolen items and ammunition was found. The occupants of the truck have since been detained. Commandant Loic Barras said the items recovered are from robberies committed on the French side of the island.
That same night a resident of Marigot filed an official report with the gendarmes indicating that two armed bandits, one carrying a hand gun entered his home and robbed him of his monies and jewellery before making their escape on foot.