ACROSS THE NATION
published:
Saturday | August 2, 2008
Nikita Henry (left), a camp counsellor involved in the Jamalco-sponsored three-week series of children's camps for youngsters in Clarendon and Manchester, explains the water cycle and its benefits to campers Chelsie Gregory (centre) and Courtney Maxwell. Both are students of the Harmons All-Age School in Manchester, where one of the two camps for that parish was held. - Contributed
St Bess con man arrested
SILOAH, ST ELIZABETH:
A St Elizabeth man who claims to be the son of a prominent political figure is now in police custody facing charges of obtaining money by means of false pretence.
Sheldon Dockery, 29, from Lacovia, has been charged with nine counts of obtaining money by means of false pretence.
The St Elizabeth police reported that for some time Dockery had been soliciting money from individuals, promising them he would be able to secure overseas employment as he had close connections with the Ministry of Labour.
The police have also said his scam has reaped over $500,000 from individuals.
Dockery, who appeared in the Santa Cruz Resident Magistrate's Court, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was denied bail and is scheduled to return to court on Monday when another application for bail will be made.
In the meantime, the St Elizabeth police are appealing to individuals who have had business dealings with Dockery to come forward.
- Neville Paul
Men freed after massive ganja find
Four of the five persons charged in connection with a massive ganja find in the Kennedy Grove community of Palmers Cross, Clarendon, last week had the case against them dropped when they appeared in court on Monday.
The five were charged last Friday after Area Three Narcotics and Operation Kingfish, acting on intelligence, searched premises in Palmers Cross and 400lb of compressed ganja found.
Two motor vehicles, a Mitsubishi motor truck and a Nissan station wagon motor car, were also seized during the operation.
When the men appeared in the May Pen Resident Magistrate's Court to answer the charges, Mark Smith accept full responsibility. Thus, the court decided to drop all charges against Campbell, Brown, Brewster and Johnson. They were facing charges of conspiracy to export ganja.
The court also dropped charges against Smith, who was initially charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, taking steps to export ganja, conspiracy to export and using premises to store drugs.
Smith will now have to face charges of possession of ganja and dealing in ganja when he returns to court on August 12.
- Dwight Nelson
Credit union boss calls for more investment
MANDEVILLE, MANCHESTER:
Basil Naar, the chief executive officer of Churches Co-operative Credit Union, is claiming that "unless something happens that will provide job opportunities" the country is heading in a direction that would only make social problems worse.
Naar, who was speaking at the official opening of Churches Credit Union's branch in Mandeville, said if action was not taken now to provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, given the thousands of new entrants into the job market yearly, the country would face a "socio-economic problem" on a larger scale than ever before.
He called on the powers that be, including those in the financial sector, to adopt some of the proposals made by Professor Bernard Headly of the University of the West Indies during his study of 'Crime and Poverty' in Jamaica.
- Angelo Laurence
Traffic accident claims two
MAY PEN, CLARENDON:
A collision between a Wrecker and a Toyota Mark II motor car with five occupants on-board claimed the lives of two persons in Clarendon on Monday.
Dead are Denver Young, 21, of Preddie district, Milk River, and Shanice Rodgers, 17, of Mineral Heights, May Pen.
Police reports are that shortly before midnight on Monday, the vehicles, travelling in opposite directions on Glenmuir Road, collided at the intersection of Sharp and Changs avenues.
The report indicated that the Toyota Mark II swerved into the path of a wrecker. The truck went on to knock down a light pole before hitting a wall.
Young, an occupant in the car, died on the spot while the other four occupants were rushed to the May Pen Hospital where Rodgers succumbed to her injuries.
The driver of the car, Lloyd Grant, 34, barber of Milk River, was released from hospital into police custody. He has not yet been charged.
- D.N.
Animal thieves get prison term
SAVANNA-LA-MAR, WESTMORELAND:
Two men who were caught in Darliston, Westmoreland, with four heads of goat will have to spend the next 12 months behind bars after they pleaded guilty to charges of praedial larceny.
Pete Ebanks of Brompton, St Elizabeth, and Jaffett Davis of Savanna-la-Mar, were arrested in Darliston after they stole goats from a farm at Prospect in St Elizabeth.
When the men appeared in court it was revealed that during an operation by the Westmoreland police, a Toyota Corolla motor car in which the two were travelling was stopped and searched when the goats were found.
Following further investigations it was revealed that the men were wanted by the Newmarket police for goat-stealing.
While the men were in custody it was discovered that Ebanks was wanted by the Black River police on another praedial larceny charge arising from an incident in February.
