By Gareth Davis, Freelance WriterPORT ANTONIO, Portland:
THE CONSTABULARY Communication Network (CCN) confirmed yesterday that the police in Port Antonio issued a warrant for the arrest of former world heavyweight boxing champion, Trevor Berbick, on alleged house-breaking and larceny charges.
The police said that they conducted a search of a house belonging to the 48-year-old boxer, at Ranch Hill, Portland at about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday and discovered several stolen items, including two television sets, a JVC CD and radio cassette player, an electrical drill, a pickaxe, clothing material and a clothes iron. This followed a complaint from a resident, Gwendolyn Facey, regarding housebreaking and theft.
A Detective Constable at the Criminal Investigative Branch (CIB) in Port Antonio, who asked not to be named, told The Gleaner that the boxer has since fled the area. According to the detectives, they (the police) went to Mr. Berbick's house Sunday night, to conduct a search, but were denied entry by the boxer, who demanded to see a search warrant.
"At that time he was behaving boisterously," said the detective. "We returned the following day with a warrant and a search was conducted and we made the discovery," the detective said.
"Mr. Berbick, however, had denied the allegations," the detective explained. "He told us after we had made the discovery of the stolen items, that someone had broken into his house and stashed the stolen items, after he had gone to the beach," added the detective.
The former boxing champion won the world heavyweight title in 1986, defeating Pinklon Thomas, but lost the crown a few months later to Mike 'Iron Man' Tyson. He was the last man to beat famed heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. But, in recent years, he has had several run-ins with the law overseas. He was deported from the USA in December 2002.
