St Mary fugitive arraigned in US firearm case after Kingston lock-up escape

A Jamaican accused of leaving police custody in Kingston while extradition proceedings to St Lucia were under way has been brought before a United States court on federal firearm allegations.

Orville Andrew Pernell, 32, also known as "Oneil Christopher Reid", appeared before a US magistrate judge in Atlanta following an indictment accusing him of possessing a gun while being an alien unlawfully present in the United States.

Pernell, who is from St Mary, Jamaica, has been sought by St Lucian authorities since 2020 in connection with the killing of Cleus Alfred. US officials said he had earlier broken out of custody in St Lucia while awaiting trial, reportedly by cutting through the steel bars of his cell.

He was arrested again in Jamaica in July 2021, but later escaped from the Kingston Central police lock-up while awaiting extradition proceedings. Reports from that period said Pernell walked out of the station, leading to disciplinary measures against members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Federal investigators said Pernell subsequently entered the United States illegally near San Ysidro, California, in December 2022 under the assumed name "Oneil Christopher Reid".

Authorities said he came to notice in Georgia in July 2023 when deputies tried to stop him over allegations that he was riding a motorcycle at 115 miles per hour. Police said he attempted to get away before traffic blocked him in. Investigators later determined that the motorcycle had been stolen and said a stolen firearm was found in his jacket pocket.

US agents later located Pernell in Savannah, Georgia, where he was taken into custody during a joint operation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

American authorities have characterised Pernell as an international fugitive who avoided law enforcement across several countries. He remains detained while awaiting trial in the United States and is expected to be sent to St Lucia afterwards to answer to the murder charge.