A Bahamas woman who captured international attention earlier this year for a fiery public confrontation with government officials during a demolition operation has been taken into custody once again, this time for allegedly erecting four new unauthorized structures on her land in Spanish Wells.
Dominique Pinder was taken into custody on August 4 by members of the Unregulated Communities Action Task Force, the interagency body leading the government’s crackdown on unpermitted development across the country’s major islands. Task force chairman Superintendent Stephen Carey confirmed the arrest in a press briefing, noting that the operation marked a return to Pinder’s property months after a high-profile January incident that drew widespread social media outrage.
In January, Pinder and her brother Blake Pinder became viral figures after cell phone footage captured their heated confrontation with task force personnel as crews carried out a scheduled demolition of unpermitted buildings on the Spanish Wells plot. That encounter led to immediate charges against both siblings: Dominique Pinder faces counts of disorderly conduct, obscene language, and abusive language, while Blake Pinder faces an additional obstruction charge. Both have pleaded not guilty to all allegations and their original case remains pending.
During the January operation, crews demolished 14 unregulated structures on the Pinder property. But when task force members returned last week to conduct routine follow-up checks, Carey said investigators discovered four completely new structures had been erected in the place of the demolished buildings, all without the mandatory government construction permits. Following her arrest on new unpermitted construction charges, Dominique Pinder was released on bail and is scheduled to make her first court appearance on the latest charges this Thursday.
In addition to Pinder’s arrest, six other individuals found on the property during the operation were taken into custody for immigration-related processing, Carey confirmed. The senior law enforcement official used the arrest to issue a sharp public warning to property owners across the country who host unauthorized construction on their land.
“To the landlords, we send out a stern warning that once we come and place 28 day notice on the structures, we will charge the landlords for allowing persons to build without a building permit,” Carey said.
The latest arrest comes as the task force ramps up its long-running enforcement of unregulated construction rules across Eleuthera, where authorities have issued a 28-day eviction notice campaign targeting illegal development. So far, 59 eviction notices have been delivered to landowners in Blackwood, a district where crews demolished roughly 60 unregulated structures earlier this year. Carey confirmed that multiple property owners in the area have already begun rebuilding illegal structures after the 2024 demolitions, mirroring the alleged actions of Pinder in Spanish Wells. Across the entire island of Eleuthera, the task force has issued 63 eviction notices to date.
Looking ahead, Carey confirmed that demolition operations will continue across three major Bahamian islands: Abaco, Eleuthera, and Andros, all of which have seen widespread unregulated construction in recent decades. A major demolition operation is already scheduled for Andros in early September, and Carey warned that there would be no last-minute reprieves for residents of unregulated structures who refuse to relocate ahead of scheduled enforcement actions.
He urged all residents currently occupying illegal, unpermitted structures to vacate their properties before official demolition teams arrive, emphasizing that the task force would not offer extensions or grace periods for non-compliant landowners and occupants.