stealing property from a residence where he had been carrying out maintenance work.

Shawn Dwayne Martin, 22, of Spice Hill Road in Warwick, failed to show up to a court date in September and so was arrested and brought before senior Magistrate Archibald Warner on Monday.

He was charged with stealing a CD player worth $225, a CD radio worth $200, and two bottles of vodka, a bottle of gin and a bottle of tequila, with a combined value of $60.

Crown counsel Wayne Caines told the court that Martin had been employed with a contractor who carried out work on a Paget house in September.

The owner of the house had been out of the country, and when she returned, she immediately noticed that the items had been removed.

She notified Police who later attended Spice Hill in Warwick where Martin was being detained by his employer who had been told of the thefts.

Police arrested him and he admitted taking the items which he sold on Court Street for $150 to buy cocaine.

None of the items has been recovered and Martin told Mr. Warner that he was sorry for taking them but said: "It's how it happened.'' Mr. Warner debated with Martin about what he would do after soiling his name with a criminal conviction and the likelihood of finding employment before sentencing him to nine months in prison which was suspended for 24 months.

ABSENTEES IN COURT CTS Absentees in court Several young men appeared in Magistrates' Court on Monday to explain why they failed to attend the Bermuda Regiment for a medical exam.

Arthur Rego, 20, of Spice Hill Road, Southampton appeared in Court with an attorney who submitted that he failed to present himself for his medical exam as he was unemployed and had many family problems at that time.

He said his life was in disarray, and although he had not yet made arrangements to attend Warwick Camp for his medical exam, he intended to follow through and serve his time in the Regiment.

He will appear in Magistrates' Court again on December 18 for sentencing.

And he will be joined by Andre W. Richardson, 20, of Kitchner Close in Sandys who also failed to present himself for a medical exam.

Richardson said he was participating in a maths course the night of the medical exam, but he intended to attend the Regiment and serve his time.

Waleed D. Lightbourne, 18, of Tribe Road in Devonshire failed to show for his medical, but had since attended a medical and was enlisted.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner bound him over for 12 months and warned him not to appear before the courts again.

Mr. Warner also bound over David James, 21, of Bostock Hill, Paget, for 12 months as he missed his first medical but had made arrangements for another and had since been enlisted.

DRIVER BANNED CTS Driver banned A Sandys man was fined and disqualified from driving on Monday after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.

Dennis DeSheilds, 53, of Lukes Pond Road, was spotted by Police travelling east on Somerset Road.

Officers noticed DeSheilds was swerving over the centre yellow line and so signalled for him to stop.

When asked if he had been drinking, he replied he had had two beers at a party.

He was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police station to give a sample of breath.

The first reading was 286mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, but he failed to give an adequate sample to obtain a second reading. The legal limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner fined DeSheilds $1,000 and disqualified him from driving all vehicles for one month.