Police Constable Kerdell Bernard Castillo has been granted $250,000 after appearing in court charged with misbehaviour in public office.
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), Castillo appeared before Master Aida Mohamed at the Port-of-Spain Criminal Court on Monday, arising from the alleged larceny and tampering of court exhibits at the Barataria Police Station. The accused was granted bail in the sum of $250,000.00 with surety. As part of the bail conditions, Catsillo must reside at his current home address unless a formal application for variation is submitted and approved and surrender his passport.
The charge stemmed from an incident reported on Monday, September 15, when officers at the Barataria Police Station discovered that several exhibits, including 27 black plastic packages containing plant-like material resembling cannabis, had been removed and replaced with Styrofoam, red bricks, and grass. The exhibits had originally been lodged on September 6 as part of an active High Court matter and were secured in the station’s Strong Room. Investigations revealed that between September 11 and 14, someone accessed the Strong Room on multiple occasions and removed a portion of the exhibits. The matter was immediately reported and referred to the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB).