St Catherine Judge Orders Public Mischief Charge After Woman Retracts Gun Attack Report

Sitting in the St Catherine Parish Court on Tuesday, Parish Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle ordered law enforcement to lay a creating-public-mischief charge against a woman who conceded she had wrongly told officers a man had threatened her with a gun.

The woman informed the bench that the implement at the centre of the dispute was in fact a knife, not a firearm.

That clarification followed word to the court that she had already amended the account she first supplied to detectives.

Chadwick Powell, the accused man in the matter, was released on bail in his own recognisance on his own surety once the development unfolded.

He had initially been charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and assault occasioning bodily harm.

The prohibited-weapon count was discontinued in light of the revised testimony.

During Tuesday's hearing, Powell's attorney, Evan Evans, argued the state's case had been weakened because the complainant withdrew part of her original police statement.

"Your Honour, she has given a statement to the police on the matter," Evans said.

The investigating officer told the court the complainant had visited the station and stated that a knife, rather than a gun, had been used.

When Nelson-Gayle asked her directly whether the weapon was a blade or a firearm, she replied, "Yes, Ma'am, a knife."

Police later recorded the change in a further statement from the complainant.

Powell remains on bail in his own recognisance and is set to return to court on September 8 to face the assault charge alone.

The matter before the court stems from an allegation that on June 14, 2026, Powell and the complainant became embroiled in a dispute that turned physical, during which she says she was assaulted.

She subsequently made a report to the police.

An investigation that followed led to Powell being charged.