In an emotional first public address Thursday, Stann Creek West Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson opened up about his son Stoney Ferguson’s recent arrest following a violent altercation with law enforcement in Placencia, revealing the decades of severe health challenges that have shaped his son’s daily life.
Stoney Ferguson, 30-something, was taken into police custody on July 18, after authorities say he failed to comply with orders to stop at a routine police checkpoint in the popular coastal town. What began as a traffic stop quickly escalated, according to police reports, resulting in verbal abuse against officers, a short vehicle pursuit through Placencia, and significant damage to a police vehicle.
While Rodwell Ferguson made clear that he in no way defends or condones his son’s alleged actions toward law enforcement, he pushed for the public to understand the context of lifelong health struggles that have left Stoney living with constant chronic pain and volatility. The lawmaker stressed that respect for police is a non-negotiable principle, noting officers were simply carrying out their official duties the night of the confrontation.
“From the day he was born, he has never lived a normal life,” Ferguson told reporters. He explained that Stoney developed severe, life-threatening asthma in infancy, spending the majority of his early childhood years admitted to hospital rather than living at home with his family. The health struggles did not end there: eight years prior to the arrest, Stoney suffered a catastrophic accident after falling from a breadfruit tree, which left him with a broken back.
Due to deeply held religious beliefs, Stoney refused the invasive back surgery that doctors recommended to repair the injury, opting instead to manage the condition through non-invasive pain management. The choice has left him living with unrelenting severe daily pain that often triggers intense irritability, his father explained.
Despite these ongoing obstacles, Ferguson emphasized that his son has worked tirelessly to maintain full independence, supporting himself by selling fresh fruits and vegetables to local residents and visitors in Placencia.
Ferguson acknowledged that his son will face the full legal consequences of his actions during the July 18 incident, but he is asking the public and the justice system to take his long-documented health challenges into consideration as the legal process moves forward.