College student given discharge for having expandable baton

A 20-year-old Southampton man caught carrying an expandable two-foot baton was warned this week that carrying weapons in public could destroy his future career.

Eugene Stoneham of Horseshoe Road received a 12-month conditional discharge after pleading guilty in Magistrate?s Court to the offence of carrying an offensive weapon on Wednesday in St. George?s.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith said Stoneham, who attends university overseas, was stopped on Mullet Bay Road at 1.53 a.m. by Police carrying out licence checks. They discovered the weapon in a black carrier case. When asked why he was carrying the weapon, Stoneham responded: ?For my protection.?

Police also discovered there was a warrant out for his arrest in relation to a driving without due care and attention at the Crow Lane Roundabout on March 28. Lawyer Charles Richardson said Stoneham did not realise the severity of possessing a weapon and had not intended to use the baton to ?commit a gratuitous offence?.

Stoneham also admitted a charge of driving without due care.

Acting Senior Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo told Stoneham that it was wrong to go out in the community with weapons. ?This leads to other problems you don?t need,? he said. ?This kind of thing could destroy your future career.?

He was sentenced to the 12 month conditional discharge meaning any future offences within this time period would activate an immediate sentence. Stoneham was fined $400 for the driving offence.

?Weed? costs Devonshire man $400

A 27-year old Devonshire man was fined $400 after pleading guilty to possession of 0.65 grams of Cannabis in Magistrate?s Court yesterday.

Acting Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo heard that at 11.55 p.m. on July 29 last year Police stopped Sean Eve, of Devonshire Road, Devonshire, outside White Hill Field, Sandys on suspicion of possession of an illegal drug. While being searched Eve became nervous and fumbled with his pocket and the search produced a home made cigarettel. When Police asked what this was, Eve replied: ?Its Weed.?

The Government Analyst found the plant like substance was 0.65 grams of cannabis. Eve has previous convictions for similar offences.

Shoplifter arrested at Marketplace

A 45-year-old Pembroke man was caught shop lifting after stealing several grocery items from the Marketplace store on Church Street in Hamilton around 12.35 p.m. on Wednesday.

Police spoke with the manager who stated he saw the suspect enter the store, take several grocery items and put them into a knapsack. The suspect then attempted to leave the store without paying for the items but he was detained by the manager shortly after leaving the store and subsequently arrested by the Police.

Residents report numerous thefts

A wallet containing $500 in cash and several other items was stolen on Wednesday at a First Avenue, Devonshire residence.

Police spoke with the complainants who stated that sometime between 1.20 p.m. and 2 p.m. that day, an unknown culprit gained into their home.

Police are investigating the theft of a black Poulan weed eater was stolen from a Jubilee Road, Devonshire home on Tuesday morning. The owner reported the machine missing from her backyard after being away from home between 9 a.m. and 10.30 a.m.

Police attended a report of a car on fire at a Hartle Drive, Sandys Parish residence around 12.20 a.m. on Tuesday.

The fire had been extinguished before Police and firefighters arrived. The complainants said they were alerted to the fire by a neighbour.

Trucker convicted of illegal dumping

A trucker was yesterday fined $500 for dumping garbage at the picturesque Heydon Trust property in Somerset.

Magistrates? Court heard that David Burchall, 31, of Horseshoe Road, Southampton, dumped the garbage on December 16 last year and was arrested after Police received a complaint. Burchall apologised to the Court and told Acting Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo: ?I had to get it off my truck.?

It is only legal to dump garbage at the Tynes Bay Incinerator while large metal objects must be disposed of at the Airport Dump.

Man was 2 milligrams over drinks limit

A 41-year old St. George?s man was banned from driving all motor vehicles for three years after yesterday pleading guilty in Magistrates? Court to driving while impaired and driving while disqualified.

Acting Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined Ronaldo Pacheco $600 for impaired drivin and $800 for driving while disqualified and banned for 24 months from all vehicles.

Police stopped Pacheco on a motorcycle on York Street, St. George?s on May 27 and noticed his eyes were glazed and his breath smelled of alcohol. When asked if he been drinking Pacheco replied: ?I had four beers.?

Pacheco?s breathalyser reading was 82 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.