By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 33-year-old man was ordered to pay $1,500 or risk spending six months in prison yesterday after he was found last week with marijuana.
Bosfield Butler Jr was one of several men who appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis yesterday charged with drug possession.
He pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs after officers found him with 1 and 5/8 ounces of Indian hemp on Saturday, November 21.
The court was told that around 3pm that day officers on mobile patrol on Market Street, observed a tinted yellow Nissan March travelling south.
Officers stopped the driver and searched the vehicle where they discovered a pillowcase in the hood of the vehicle, containing a clear plastic bag of suspected marijuana.
Butler was arrested and taken to a local police station, where he admitted to the offence in an interview with police.
Butler told the magistrate that he smokes marijuana from “time to time”, adding that he’s trying to get help for his problem. The accused also noted that he found being the sole provider for his family a “stressful” situation. He was ordered to pay $1,500 or spend six months in prison.
Nick Simon, 27, also appeared before Magistrate Rolle Davis charged with possession of dangerous drugs after he was found with four grams of Indian hemp on Saturday, November 21. During the hearing, the prosecution said that around 6.30pm that day, police were in the Carmichael Road area when they saw a group of men who started to act suspiciously on seeing the officers.
The men were searched. Officers found a plastic bag in Simon’s pocket, which was suspected of being marijuana. Simon was subsequently arrested and taken to the police station, where he later admitted to the offence.
When given the chance to speak, Simon told the magistrate that he was a single father who occasionally smoked marijuana.
Asked to explain his reasons for smoking, the accused told the court that he does it to “clear his mind.”
Magistrate Rolle Davis subsequently fined him $150 or 14 days at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.
Edward Wilkinson, 29, also appeared before Magistrate Rolle Davis after officers found seven grams of Indian hemp in his underwear on Monday, November 23.
The court was told that that day, officers, while in the area of Dunmore Street, observed a man walking and acting in a suspicious manner.
As a result, the accused was searched by officers who found in his underwear a clear plastic bag containing four silver foil wraps suspected of being marijuana.
He was subsequently arrested and taken to a local police station where he admitted to the offence and also told officers that he had purchased the drugs for personal use.
During yesterday’s hearing, Wilkinson pleaded guilty and was fined $250 or one month in prison. The fines were paid the same day.
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