Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas called in for questioning by police

Mayor of Portmore Leon Thomas is to be interviewed by the police today and could face criminal charges for alleged assault, sources have disclosed.

This stems from a melee that broke out at a public consultation at the headquarters of the municipality in February over the move to make Portmore Jamaica’s 15th parish, according to sources.

Senior defence attorney Anthony Williams confirmed that he will accompany the mayor to a question-and-answer session with police investigators today, but declined to comment further.

According to one law enforcement source, the mayor was asked by the police to “come to the station to give his side of the story”.

“They may or they may not,” said the source when asked if the police had indicated whether charges would be filed against Thomas, who was elected on a People’s National Party (PNP) ticket.

The public consultation ended prematurely following a verbal clash between supporters of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the PNP.

The police had to be called to restore order.

A video from the meeting, which was circulated on social media, appears to show the Portmore mayor grabbing a yellow placard from a woman.

Alando Terrelonge, the Member of Parliament for St Catherine East Central, who attended the meeting and who represents the JLP, was also heckled by PNP supporters while he attempted to answer a question posed by a resident.

"Shame on you!" a group of PNP supporters shouted at Terrelonge, videos from the incident showed.

- Livern Barrett

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.