Ten Gbarnga Police Officers Investigated in Custody Death of Electrician Found Dead Near Station

Published: May 8, 2026

By Rancy Clarke

GBARNGA, Bong County — Ten Liberia National Police officers assigned to the Gbarnga Central Police Station are under interrogation by the force’s Professional Standards Division over the death of Charles Kollie, an electrician found dead meters from the station early Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after police say he was released from custody.

Kollie, a resident of Dementa Road in Gbarnga, had been arrested April 30 following a complaint by Jungle Energy Power accusing him of electricity theft. He was detained at the station’s Charge of Quarter alongside three others who were subsequently released. Kollie remained in custody alone.

Bong County Police Commander ACP William Johnson previously stated that Kollie was released Monday, May 4, at approximately 11:45 a.m. by Crime Services Division Commander James Kartoe, and claimed that while in detention Kollie had struck his head against a wall. The discovery of his body the following morning near the same station has fueled allegations of foul play and triggered the internal investigation now being led by Professional Standards Division head Lasana Konneh.

The ten officers currently under interrogation are all assigned within the Charge of Quarter where Kollie was held. Police authorities say findings from the investigation will be made public Monday, May 11, in keeping with an understanding reached at a recent community engagement meeting in Gbarnga.

Disturbing details from the coroner’s jury process are intensifying public concern. A source close to the jury told reporters that physical examination of Kollie’s body revealed severe injuries including a deep wound on the forehead, badly damaged eyes, bruises on the hands, a deep cut around the waist and what the source described as a deep hole in the anus. The Liberian Investigator could not independently verify those claims. The LNP has not officially released the coroner’s findings.

Despite the reported condition of the body, LNP Deputy Inspector General for Operations Cllr. J. Nelson Freeman said the police do not currently believe foul play was involved. Freeman acknowledged “procedural errors” surrounding Kollie’s release from custody but maintained that no officer can be held responsible while the investigation remains ongoing. His comments have deepened skepticism among residents and family members who question how a man released from police detention could be found dead steps from the same facility hours later.

Kollie’s father, Paul Dunbar, has flatly rejected the police account. “They said my son was released, but none of us signed for him,” Dunbar said. “If he was truly released, then who received him?” The family has threatened legal action against both the LNP and Jungle Energy Power, alleging their involvement in the chain of events that led to Kollie’s death.

Kollie’s body remains at St. Kennedy’s Funeral Home in Gbarnga pending the outcome of the investigation. With the May 11 deadline for the release of findings now days away, pressure on authorities to provide a transparent and credible account of what happened to Charles Kollie between his detention, his reported release and his death continues to mount.