Taxi fare dodger pays a high price

Dodging a taxi fare landed a 26-year-old man in court yesterday.

Tyari Harvey, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to incurring a debt after he skipped out on a $37.50 fare in October.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke said: "On October 18, 2003, Harvey was taken from Hamilton to Ice Queen around 3 a.m. He then directed the taxi driver to Beacon Hill, Sandys.

"He told the driver he did not have enough money to pay for the fare and to wait while he went inside to get the money. The driver waited ten minutes but Harvey did not come out, so the driver left."

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves asked Harvey where he lived.

Harvey told the court: "I ain't got to tell you where I stay. I stay with my momma."

"Why are you being rude to me," asked Mr. Greaves.

Harvey replied: "You ain't no different from any other man."

He was fined $250, which had to paid immediately and he was also ordered to pay $37.50 to the court for the taxi driver.

Fire damages home

A house fire in Paget was partially contained by quick thinking homeowners who used a garden hose on the blaze.

Residents of the White Sands Road home were able to escape without injury from a fire that was reported to the Bermuda Fire Service at 12.42 p.m. yesterday.

Smoke damaged one room and fire damaged a mattress and box spring along with the bed linens. The fire caused approximately $3,000 worth of damage, said fire spokesman Lt. Dana Lovell.

"The fire was contained within ten minutes of the fire service arriving there but the bulk of the fire was knocked down by the residents who used a garden hose on the fire," Lt. Lovell said.

Two women along with a baby got out of the house with no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Drug fine

A 31-year-old man was fined $1,500 for having 0.36 grams of cannabis in an increased penalty zone.

Maurice Smith, of Town Hill, Flatts, pleaded guilty to the crime when he appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

The incident took place at Hamilton Workman's Club on August 15, 2003.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke told the court: "At 8.55 p.m. Police found plant like material in a coin purse in Smith's pocket."

Smith apologised to the court for his actions.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves fined Smith $500 for cannabis possession and $1,000 for possession in an increased penalty zone.