A 21-year-old Marigot resident, identified as Nyoka James, and serving police officer Rennick Stevens from Portsmouth have both been sent to Dominica State Prison to await further legal proceedings after courts rejected their bail requests. Both face charges of perverting the course of justice amid an ongoing investigation into the death of 17-year-old Jerbiah Paul from Portsmouth.
James made her first court appearance before the Roseau Magistrate Court on the date of this latest development, where she was formally remanded following the ruling to deny her bail application. Court and law enforcement records outline the allegations against James: on August 7, 2026, she knowingly provided false testimony to a investigating officer based in Roseau. That officer was conducting a probe into a fellow officer’s potential connection to Paul’s death at the time of the false statement.
In a parallel development announced the same day, Stevens was also ordered remanded to state custody after also being charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the same teen death case. This pair of custody rulings marks the most recent public development in a sprawling investigation that continues to unpack the full circumstances of Paul’s disappearance and subsequent death.
Local law enforcement authorities have confirmed that the inquiry remains active, with investigators continuing to collect evidence, interview witnesses, and build a full timeline of events leading up to Paul’s death. No additional details on potential further charges or a timeline for the next court hearings have been released publicly as of the latest update.