St James men on charges of possession of ammunition

Two St James men allegedly in possession of two rounds of ammunition were hauled back before the parish court on Wednesday.

Donald Mitchell and Aldine Reynolds appeared before chairman Nationsha Fairclough-Hylton charged with unauthorized possession of ammunition.

They are represented by lawyers Chumu Paris and Henry McCurdy respectively.

During the court proceedings, Reynolds’ bail was reduced to $350,000 due to his inability to meet financial obligations associated with the original bail amount set by the court.

He was remanded in custody until November 6, while Mitchell’s bail was extended.

According to court documents, a white Nissan car drove into the grounds of the Montego Bay Police Station around 10pm on June 6. One of the suspects got out of the car, with a brown bag in his hand, and threw the bag at the perimeter wall.

A search of the vehicle revealed two bullets under one of the front seats.

The two men were arrested and charged.

Woman who abused stepmother sentenced to probation

A St. James woman accused of attacking her elderly stepmother was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday when she appeared in parish court.

The defendant, Charmaine Campbell, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

During the mitigation phase, barrister Noel Butler urged chairman Nationsha Fairclough-Hylton to consider alternative sentencing options rather than sending his client to prison. He emphasized that his client has a behavioral problem that can be resolved with counseling and therapy.

In issuing her decision, Fairclough-Hylton carefully considered the attorney’s request and ultimately decided to place Campbell on probation for two years. This means Campbell will be supervised by a probation officer for the next two years.

According to court documents, the complainant was at her home around 9:45 a.m. on May 19 when Campbell entered her kitchen, bounced her and ran outside. The defendant then picked up a broken mop stick and repeatedly hit the complainant on her hand before using the stick to inflict wounds on her head and right hand. The complainant fled the scene.

This was in breach of a protection order made on January 25, 2022, the court was told.

Post-mortem report preserves murder case

An incomplete file is delaying the trial of a 30-year-old St James man charged with murder after allegedly shooting dead a shopkeeper in the parish’s New Road, Flanker, in April.

Joseph McKenzie, also known as Geo, of Second Avenue in Flanker, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of 28-year-old Randy McNeil of Providence Heights, also in Flanker.

McKenzie is also charged with using a firearm to commit a crime and possession of a prohibited weapon.

When the matter came up in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday, lawyer Chumu Paris said he had been approached to represent the defendant.

The court was also told that the post-mortem report was not yet ready.

No bail application has been filed on behalf of the suspect.

Presiding Judge Nationsha Fairclough-Hylton remanded the suspect in custody until November 25.

The court heard that on April 27, around 11.15am, McNeil was walking on a road when he was attacked by McKenzie, who was armed with a gun. McKenzie then allegedly shot McNeil several times.

Police were alerted and McNeil was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Following an investigation into the incident, McKenzie was arrested and charged.

Teen sentenced to probation for burglary

A teenage boy who allegedly broke into another man’s home in September and stole a sum of money along with a flashlight was sentenced to two years’ probation during his appearance in St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Rodrick Blake, 18, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft.

Before passing sentence, the President of the United Nations, Nationsha Fairclough-Hylton, informed the defendant that a social inquiry report provided a harrowing account of his experiences and that the probation officer recommended that he be placed on probation to begin a process of rehabilitation and facilitate transformation in his life. to live.

The judge then imposed a probationary period of two years on him.

“I don’t want to see you here before I do. If you come back before me, it won’t be like this,” the judge told Blake before allowing him to leave the courtroom.

According to court documents, the complainant, who lives in Maroon Town, arrived home on September 3 to find his home had been burglarized.

When he entered the home, he noticed signs of a disturbance, indicating that the property had been broken into. He also noticed that $5,000, two containers of coins and an LED flashlight were missing.

The matter was reported to the police and Blake was arrested shortly afterwards.