By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 41-year-old woman who stole over $200 worth of food items from Super Value last week was ordered to reimburse the store or risk spending two months at the Bahamas Department of Corrections.
Tanai McKenzie was arrested after she stole an assortment of grocery items valued at $206.59 from Super Value on November 14.
She pleaded guilty to the charge during a hearing before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on Friday.
During Friday’s proceedings, the court was told that a Super Value employee had reported the incident to police on November 16 after noticing a female exiting the establishment “with a trolly full of groceries” while checking the surveillance.
The prosecution said officers then arrested and cautioned the defendant, who later directed police to the stolen items. However, police said the items were no longer “of use.”
Attorney Ian Cargill, who represented McKenzie, told the Magistrate that his client was a mother of two who was battling cancer and had no previous convictions.
He also told the court that McKenzie had been unemployed since the COVID-19 pandemic and was extremely remorseful for her actions, adding she did it out of “desperation.”
In response, Magistrate Vogt-Evans told defendant that there were too many places in New Providence where she could have sought for help as it relates to food assistance instead of stealing.
She further noted that while she sympathised with McKenzie’s health issues, it still did not justify her actions.
“There’s no excuse,” she said.
As a result, McKenzie was conditionally discharged and ordered to reimburse the virtual complainant $207. Failure to do so would result in two months imprisonment.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.