Raymond Stacey — acquitted of murder in 2016 — is back in police custody just over a week after he was in court facing charges of breaking into a home, stealing a vehicle and breaching court orders.
According to court documents, Stacey, 26, faced a slew of charges Sunday morning in St. John’s — attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon or imitation, unlawfully committing a robbery, assault, two counts of forcible confinement, theft of a vehicle and five counts of failure to comply with condition of undertaking or recognizance.
Due to a power outage in St. John’s, Stacey made his court appearance via video link from the Her Majesty’s Penitentiary before a judge in Corner Brook.
Sources confirm to The Telegram Stacey was the man arrested Saturday following a series of incidents in Paradise.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) said officers arrived at a Paradise home 1 p.m. Saturday in response to a 911 call of an assault at the home.
That’s when police say the male suspect ran from the scene to a nearby business and jumped into an occupied parked vehicle.
Police report the man tried to drive the vehicle with the female passenger still inside, but he lost control and crashed on the parking lot.
The car was spotted in the Lawton’s drug store parking lot after it crashed into a concrete pole base.
A witness told The Telegram that a man had apparently tried to steal the vehicle. The witness said the man then ran from the scene after the car struck the pole.
RNC officers were seen interviewing multiple witnesses in the parking lot as a passenger sat in the damaged vehicle.
Police said the man ran away after he crashed the car, but was followed by a witness and arrested by police moments later.
In the parking lot of the nearby Irving station, officers were interviewing more witnesses to an apparent second carjacking.
A witness told the Telegram that a shirtless male had run from the area of the first incident at Lawton’s and then attempted to carjack another car, with a female occupant, in the Irving parking lot.
The witness said the man was unable to get the car started and when that attempt failed, he ran from the area but was nabbed by police a short distance away.
Police said the female passenger in the crashed car is not believed to be injured but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The initial victim of the assault also went to hospital for medical treatment.
The RNC Criminal Investigation Division and Forensic Identification Services are continuing the investigation.
Two years ago, Stacey was acquitted by a jury of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his coworker, 41-year-old Clifford Comerford. The pair were working as chicken catchers and were both in a van that was set to take them to work in Harbour Grace for a night shift in January 2015 when Comerford was killed.
On March 29th of this year, Stacey was charged with assault and released on bail. The charge was later withdrawn.
Most recently, Stacey was arrested for allegedly breaking into a Forsey Place home on Aug. 27, stealing a woman’s vehicle, and breaching a court order to keep the peace; an order given to him three weeks previously.
Stacey was granted bail with a number of conditions, including that he not operate a motor vehicle and that he stay away from the Forsey Place home and the female victim. He was due be back in court on those charges June 6.
It is expected Stacey will be back in court Monday on these latest charges stemming from the Paradise incidents.
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