GDF’s Fort Island Base Commander, captain of capsized boat were intoxicated- police

Last Updated on Saturday, 18 December 2021, 11:03 by Denis Chabrol

The Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Commander for Fort Island, Staff Sergeant Everette Tudor and three other persons were intoxicated in a privately-owned “unregistered” boat that capsized in the Essequibo River, leaving a Coast Guardsman missing, police said on Saturday.

“The captain was further questioned and it was learnt that the five passengers were traveling from Fort Island when they hit a wave and capsized in the the sunken boat which is a 17 feet wooden boat with a 150 HP Yamaha outboard engine that is unregistered,” the Guyana Police Force said. The mishap occurred at about 4:45 Friday afternoon in the vicinity of St Lawrence.

Police said that on Saturday a search was continuing for Private Junior Kenroy Sooklall, 24 years, who was stationed at Fort Island.

Police said that a breathalyser test conducted on the Fort Island Base Commander , Staff Sergeant 18990 Everette Tudor of 659 South ” B” Field Sophia showed that there was a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 101 micrograms in the first reading and and .114 micrograms in the second reading.

A traffic officer explained that the police force prosecutes for all readings above 0.35 micrograms.

Police also said that the boat captain, Ramesh Beepat had BAC readings of .132 and .118 micrograms, and Turendra Lochan .108 and .119 micrograms. Beepat is 28 years old and lives Lot 2 Old Road Le Destin, and Lochan,28, is  a barber of Zeelugt New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo .

Investigators were told that ight soldiers headed by Lance Corporal 25009 Darwyn Anderson were heading to Parika from Essequibo in a private speedboat. Whilst in the vicinity of St. Lawrence they heard shouts of persons in the river and observed a boat was sinking.  “As the ranks quickly went to the direction of the persons, they observed four males in the water and two other males were in a green and black boat a few meters away.

Police said the soldiers managed to rescue three persons from the water, while the fourth male went down. They further rescued the two other men that were in the boat after which the boat went down in the river.

The ranks then took the rescued men to Mangal’s Wharf, after which the Police was informed.

The others, who were rescued, were 14-year old Eon John, a student of Parika Primary School and resides at Lot 2 Le Destin, East Bank Essequibo, and 16-year old Ryan Beepat , a student of Lot 2 Le Destin East Bank Essequibo.