Alfonso Noble is the nationally known UDP mouthpiece who’s been the host of WAVE TV’s Fus Thing Da Mawnin for about 10 years. But this weekend he spent the Christmas holidays in police detention  - after he knocked down and killed a man. Gilbert Meyers was riding a bicycle near mile four on the Western Highway when Noble ran him over.  After that, the talk show host and Guardian newspaper editor spent over 80 hours in police detention before he was sent to court this morning.  Daniel Ortiz found out why the controversy over the case is already overshadowing the death of Gilbert Meyers:..

UDP Mouthpiece Alfonso Noble was uncharacteristically mute after his Magistrate’s Court arraignment this morning.

Daniel Ortiz
"Brother Fonso…"

Alfonso Noble - Charged with Manslaughter
"No comment."

Reporter
"Anything to say to the family?"

Alfonso Noble - Charged with Manslaughter
"No comment."

He’s facing 4 charges, including manslaughter by negligence, for knocking down and killing Hattieville Resident Gilbert Myers.

The accident happened in the night of Christmas Eve, between miles 3 and 4 of the George Price Highway. Noble was heading to his home in the Mile 8 community, and he was driving the Guardian’s Newspaper’s company vehicle, this red Nissan pickup.

At this time, it is unclear what caused the accident, but Noble knocked down Myers who was riding a bike in the same direction. The head and bodily injuries were severe, and Myers died right where he landed near this drain.

His wife had spoken to him earlier in the day, and she was expecting that he would show up in the City to help with Christmas shopping. Instead, she went home to the terrible news that he had been killed.

Andrea Corrin-Myers - Wife of Deceased
"He mih deh with me the Christmas eve morning, he gone help me by my work and then he tell me he said babe I gwen by mi pa and I the comeback, when you done work make you S.O.S me or come meet me. I said okay and that was it, I never see ah again. I deh by the bus terminal after I done buy my groceries the wait for he, he never show up so I say probably he gone home and I just decide to catch the 5:30 bus, me and my two daughters and son say I will surprise this man when I reach home. Instead I get a surrpise weh I neva expect."

"Wah young man call me and tell me say babe I have a message for you and I say like what I no want nobody deal with me right now because I got a lot of work to do. He said babe yo man deh pan the road dead, I said whe you say? He said yes I tell no mien my husband can't dead because he deh pan his way the come and he said no babe your husband deh on the road knockdown dead."

Police were unable to rule out alcohol as a possible cause for the accident because Noble refused to provide specimen. Police requested blood to test alcohol levels in his system, but he refused. He’s now facing a criminal charge of failing to provide a sample for testing, and his attorney says that there may be legitimate reasons for his refusal.

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"There are people who refuse to give blood specimen for religious reasons but we will get to that at trail."

Reporter
"What about a urine sample sir wouldn't that suffice?"

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"The request was specifically for blood, there was no request made according to the facts that I read; the request was specifically for blood."

Reporter
"Was it under legal advice that your client chose not to comply with providing a blood sample or was this of his own decision?"

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"As far as I am aware Mr. Noble chose not to provide samples for religious reasons."

Reporter
"What religion is he sir?"

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"Man which religion you know let we not get into semantics here."

Reporter
"Sir, but what religion are you saying he is?"

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"I believe he is Jehovah’s Witness."

Andrea Corrin-Myers - Wife of Deceased
"He midi ride come home, he ride road every night, every night he always ride the road to come da work and go home and then he no get hit on the highway, he got hit off the highway because I see where part he get hit and all the things that he had deh pan the road broke up. All the coke bottle and things, the tomatoes and onion still deh pan the highway up to now from the bag. He mi had like 600 dollars pan ah all we get da 2 dollars. So we want know where the rest of money deh because da young man whe knock down my husband have to maintain me and my pinki deh because I can't do it pan my own."

The Noble camp is also pointing out that at the time when the accident happened, Myers was wearing dark clothing. His bike did not have lights at the back, but he did have one at the front. They contend that it Noble couldn’t see Myers.

And while none of us can know for sure what happened out on the road on Saturday, Meyers’ wife still believes that Alfonso Noble is at fault.

Andrea Corrin-Myers - Wife of Deceased
"Alfonso know my husband good, they always the hail each other and thing so why my husband have to ride this highway and lot of vehicle pass and no hit ah and he da the only vehicle that hit my husband because if I have to deal with it on my own, then I will deal with it on my own because like I said I got my kids, that was my bread winner and now I no have nobody by my side fi turn to to help me with my kids deh."

But, that disputed facts are secondary to the untimely passing on Gilbert Myers. Instead of making more holiday memories, his wife and children will now remember Christmas as the time when he was taken away from them.

Andrea Corrin-Myers - Wife of Deceased
"I noh enjoy no Christmas, I no call that a Christmas because then I done use to every year me and my husband and my kids deh we spend Christmas together and I live with this young man for 22 years and we married 19 years. I know every year this happen and will be sadness for me on a Christmas Eve so I no entitled to have no more Christmas after this. My kids want enjoy their selves is up to them but with me I no deh pan that noh moh."

"I wah always remember he every time I go inna my house I always see ah in my sofa sit down. I done use to the make noise to me and my kids and that is what I wa miss."

Noble was arraigned today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer on the charges of manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, and failing to provide specimen to police for testing.

Since all the offences are indictable, no plea was taken, and he met bail of $5,000. His case has been adjourned until February 20, 2017.

As we told you, he spent the entire Christmas weekend in police lockdown, which his attorney pointed out to the court is unusual. In the normal course, persons involved in accidental death are usually given a notice of intended prosecution until the police are ready to bring charges. Once the notice is served, these persons are allowed to go home, but in this instance, Noble was held the entire time. That’s the ground on which Panton urged the court to compel the police prosecutors to come to court with disclosure on that date.

He told the court that since the police did not need time to send Noble home with the NIP, and they also didn’t need time to consult with the DPP’s Office, they should be ready on February 20. Outside of court, he explained to us why this extended detention is a sore point for his client:

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"The normal course in any vehicle accident a notice of intended prosecution is given. The police conclude their investigation, this matter is an indictable matter, this matte this matter has to go to the Supreme Court so that information is then forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions who gives an opinion on whether or not to lay charges. The police in their infinite wisdom chose to charge my client immediately suggesting that they are pandering to the media. Now if it is that they are pandering -- if you are a leader and the basis on which you act is whether or not you will take flock in the media I would want to suggest that you lost the morale authority to lead. Could you imagine holding this man all over the Christmas holidays and I could almost guarantee you come the 20th of February they won't have the disclosure that the magistrate ordered."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir while he is inconvenienced for the entire Christmas a life was lost, a family was negatively affected by this, and they didn't have their loved one for Christmas."

Herbert Panton - Attorney for Alfonso Noble
"Fundamentally the charge is manslaughter by negligence, there was no intention to kill, it's a total separate -- I do appreciate that somebody's loved one was lost but there was never any intention, it was a vehicle accident."