Immigration officer charged with stealing $104,000

A 42-year-old former employee of the Department of Immigration appeared briefly in Magistrates? Court yesterday on charges of theft and fraud of more than $104,000.

Jameal Joanne Woods from Cocoa Lane in St. George?s parish, was not asked to plea as the matter is indictable.

Woods was charged with the theft of more than $104,000 from the Department of Immigration and defrauding the Department of Immigration between September 1, 2002 and April 13, 2004 ? while she was employed as an officer in the Department?s offices in Hamilton.

Woods will return to court for mention on September 1 and was released on $5,000 bail with one surety.

Lima violates domestic protection order

The 32-year-old man who earlier this year deliberately ran over his wife with a motorcycle in a fit of rage, appeared in Magistrates? Court yesterday for violating a domestic protection order. Crown counsel Anthony Blackman told the court that Dnarte Lima, of White Sands Road, Paget, violated the order when he approached his wife in Warwick on August 12.

Mr. Blackman said Lima?s wife ? who is currently filing for divorce ? was dropping their child off at a pre-school when Lima approached her. She told Police Lima told her he knew where she worked and was going to call Immigration and report her. Mr. Blackman said the wife, afraid that he would take their daughter, returned to the school and called the Police.

Lima pleaded guilty to the charge, but told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner that he was told by a friend that she was working illegally in Bermuda.

?She went to the pre-school and I was waiting. I did not approach her, she drove around and came within a 100 metres of me. I just got on my bike and left,? he said.

?You deliberately went to the area where you knew she would be?? Mr. Warner asked.

Lima replied yes again, adding that he wanted to see if she was working there and if she was, he was going to call Immigration. Mr. Warner fined him $1,000 and a six month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. ?If you commit another offence, you will go to jail,? Mr. Warner warned.

Adding that he hoped this was enough of a threat for Lima to abide by the domestic protection order.

Ceola Wilson denies shoplifting charge

Veteran media personality Ceola Wilson pleaded not guilty in Magistrates? Court yesterday to a charge of shoplifting.

Wilson is being charged with shoplifting a bottle of hand and body cream worth $11.08 from Lindo?s Family Foods on Middle Road on July 19.

She will return to court on November 15 and was released on $800 bail.

Man fined for assaulting police officer

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner slapped $2,000 in fines on a Devonshire man who admitted he roughed up a Police officer during a domestic disturbance on Monday night.

Irven Russell Simmons of Devon Springs Road, also admitted resisting arrest after he lunged at his wife when Police had told him to leave the property and told her to go inside the house.

Crown counsel Anthony Blackman said a Police officer stepped between them and Simmons became aggressive and seized the sergeant, slamming him into the side of the house.

Simmons apologised to the court and his family, saying it was not in his nature and he believed that during the incident he was in the process of leaving, but officers became impatient. ?It won?t happen again,? he said.

Mr. Warner told Simmons that the charges were serious, especially violence towards Police officers when they are in the execution of their duties.

?The court does not tolerate Police being assaulted,? he said.

Mr. Warner fined Simmons $1,000 for assault and $1,000 for resisting arrest with a default of 30 days and gave Simmons until September 16 to pay the fines.