PHILIPSBURG– Two Americans tourists are having a very different vacation than they hoped for when they booked tickets to Sint Maarten. The man and woman are currently spending time in the holding cells of the Philipsburg Police Station for threatening the lives of workers of a bar, disruptive behavior in public, and damage of property. The woman is also held for assaulting a police officer.
Their stay in police custody was extended to eight days on Wednesday by the Judge of Instruction. They have been in police custody since their arrest on Sunday night.
The incident in Cole Bay, for which the duo are detained by police, was caught on camera by several onlookers.
The Prosecutor’s Office OM SXM said any assault on the country’s police officers by anyone – tourist or resident - will not be tolerated and the law will be applied. Similarly, disruptive behavior and property damage will not go unpunished. “OM SXM is aware that Sint Maarten, as a country that is tourism dependent, relies on visitors to help its economy. However, this does not mean that breaking the laws by visitors will be overlooked, especially when it comes to any disregard for law enforcement officers executing their duties,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
The case of the two tourists is under investigation by the Police Force St. Maarten KPSM.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/detention-of-tourists-extended-to-eight-days
