The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN threatened to break into a police officer’s house and murder him and his entire family, a court heard yesterday.

Zhivargo Rolle was arrested after he was accused of making a Facebook post in July 2020, threatening to end the officer’s life.

Rolle’s trial for threats of death and misuse of a telecommunications system began before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday morning.

When Inspector Renaldo Burrows, the officer he is alleged to have threatened, testified yesterday he said a photograph of him was posted in a popular Facebook group suggesting he was the officer responsible for a controversial arrest.

He said underneath the post, was a comment from a user account named Zhivargo Rolle, who said he would break into his house and kill all of his family.

The court was told that the account also said the “innocent would suffer for the guilty” and that he had “evil-ish” thoughts.

The officer said the posts made him fear for his and his family’s safety, so he took screenshots of them and reported the matter to the Criminal Investigations Department.

Inspector Burrows also said he had never met or seen Rolle before his court appearance.

When Constable Edrico Demeritte gave evidence, he said he interviewed Rolle after he was taken into custody for questioning. PC Demeritte said when he questioned the accused, he claimed it was not his intention to harm Inspector Burrows and said he was only expressing himself. The officer said Rolle did not allude to having his Facebook account hacked and acknowledged having full control of the page at the time of the incident.

The case continues on December 9.