The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THREE men were charged in Magistrate’s Court yesterday for stealing in two separate incidents.

In the first case, an Inagua man denied a string of shop breaking and stealing charges.

Jeremy Charlton, 28, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged with three counts of shop breaking and three counts of stealing after he was accused of breaking into a telecommunications company and liquor store in Matthew Town, Inagua in May and June of this year.

Charlton was accused of breaking and entering Batelco on Gregory Street, Matthew Town and stealing $4,866.69 some time between May 13 and 14. He was further accused of breaking into 700 Wines and Spirits on that same street and stealing $886.65 some time between June 9 and 10. During the hearing yesterday, the prosecution also alleged that Charlton broke into Batelco a second time to steal $59 within that same timeframe.

After Charlton denied all of the charges, the matter was adjourned to September 18 for trial. Bail was denied and the defendant was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim. He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

In the second incident, two men were charged with stealing a car’s bumper worth $200 last weekend. Jarrett McKenzie, 33, and Lavardo Sherman, 27, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes after they were accused of stealing a bumper from a black Nissan Note on June 14.

The court heard that on the day in question, a woman named Rose Martin told police that someone entered her yard and stolen the front bumper from her Nissan Note. After filing an official complaint, Ms Martin requested police action. Sgt McKenzie said during their investigation, officers in Coral Harbour spotted a vehicle matching a description they had received and stopped the car. During their search, the officers discovered the bumper in the vehicle’s trunk. Both defendants were subsequently arrested and charged.

During the arraignment, Sherman pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, while McKenzie denied the allegation and had his case adjourned to October 15 for trial. He was granted $1,000 bail in the interim.