Lovelette Brooks, News Editor

The house that slain Clansman head Donovan 'Bulbie' Bennett built in Tenarky district, Rock River, Clarendon. – File

Should you have the right to know if they have a criminal background?

Our new 'Know Your Neighbour' series will seek to answer these questions and share the experiences of residents who knew nothing about their neighbours until ...

Whether you reside in the opulent hills of St. Andrew or in the deep quiet of a rural parish, the person living close to you could be dangerous; could be on the police 'most wanted' list; could be a drug kingpin, a gunslinger, a rapist, a child molester or a serial killer.

Three of the island's infamous gang leaders who allegedly committed serious crimes, labelled as "armed and dangerous" by the police, were all caught in rural communities, ensconced from public view. These were not their usual places of residence, but their carefully selected hideouts.

The three, who seemed to have eluded the law for some time, while, according to the police, indulging in criminal acts, were: Donovan 'Bulbie' Bennett, late leader of the Spanish Town-based Clansman gang; Joel Andem, leader of the Gideon Warriors gang, and Eldon Calvert of the Montego Bay-based Stone Crusher gang. They took cover in Rock River (Tenarky district) in Clarendon, Clarksonville in St Ann, and Woodgrove in Trelawny, respectively.

Shocked and surprised

Residents of Tenarky, one of several small villages in Rock River, tell The Sunday Gleaner how shocked they were when they discovered that the notorious Bulbie had been residing in their community.

In a pre-dawn move, Opera-tion Kingfish swooped down on Bennett's house. He and his driver, whom residents identify as 'Nathan' or '10-pack', were killed in an alleged shoot-out on October 30, 2005.

"Nothing like that never happen 'roun here, you know. We is a quiet people and we (were) shock(ed); all now we still in shock," says Annie McKennon, one of three women preparing the nearby Church of God on Saturday for Sunday morning service.

From the open windows of the church, one gets a panoramic view of Bennett's house, which is otherwise obscured.

Rock River, located some eight miles from Palmer's Cross, is typical Jamaican 'country'. On a Saturday morning, residents go to the river to wash, bathe and collect water. It is a family affair: Children splash in small pools while the adults work.

Donkeys, one at every turn, are very visible in Rock River. They are all pulling water carts. There is no piped water in this community, except at Bennett's house.

Rounding a deep corner, one cannot miss God Bless Grocery and Meats and God Bless Delicious Restaurant. Both occupy the same building. A resident of the community, exhibiting fear, talks guardedly with us.

"I know where the house is, just around the corner," she responds to our query. "And I know about what happened there years ago, but I never really go around there. It shake up the entire community," she says.

lovellette.brooks@gleaner.com