Two St James men who were allegedly found in possession of two rounds of ammunition were hauled back before the Parish Court on Wednesday.

Donald Mitchell and Aldine Reynolds appeared before presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton charged with unauthorised possession of ammunition.

They are being represented by attorneys Chumu Paris and Henry McCurdy, respectively.

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

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

According to court documents, on June 6, about 10:00 pm, a white Nissan motor car drove onto the Montego Bay Police Station compound. One of the accused, holding a brown bag, alighted from the car and flung the bag towards 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 assaulted stepmother sentenced to probation

A St James woman accused of assaulting her elderly stepmother was sentenced to a two-year probation period when she appeared in the Parish Court on Thursday.

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

During the mitigation phase, defence attorney Noel Butler urged presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton to consider alternative sentencing options rather than sending his client to prison. He emphasised that his client has a behavioural issue that could be resolved with counselling and therapy.

When delivering her decision, Fairclough-Hylton carefully considered the lawyer’s request and ultimately decided to place Campbell on two years probation. This means that Campbell will be under the supervision of a probation and after-care officer for the next two years.

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

This was in violation of a protection order issued January 25, 2022, the court was told.

Post-mortem report holds up murder case

An incomplete case file is holding up the trial of a 30-year-old St James man charged with murder after he allegedly shot dead a shop operator in New Road, Flanker, in the parish in April.

Joseph McKenzie, otherwise called Geo, of Second Avenue in Flanker, has been charged with murder in relation to 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 felony and possession of a prohibited weapon.

When the matter was mentioned in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday, attorney Chumu Paris stated that he had been approached to represent the defendant.

The court was also told that the post-mortem report was still outstanding.

No application for bail was made on the defendant’s behalf.

Presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton remanded the defendant until November 25.

The court heard that on April 27, about 11:15 am, McNeil was walking on a road when he was pounced upon by McKenzie, who was armed with a gun. McKenzie then reportedly shot McNeil several times.

The 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 housebreaking

A teenage boy, who reportedly broke into another man’s home in September and stole a sum of money along with a flashlight, was sentenced to a two-year probationary term during his appearance at the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Rodrick Blake, 18, pleaded guilty to housebreaking and larceny.

Before pronouncing the sentence, presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton informed the defendant that a social enquiry report depicted a distressing narrative of his experiences and that the probation officer recommended that he be placed on probation in order to facilitate a process of rehabilitation and transformation in his life.

The judge subsequently imposed a two-year probationary period on him.

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

According to court documents, on September 3, the complainant, who resides in Maroon Town, arrived home to find that his residence had been broken into.

Upon entering the dwelling, he noticed signs of a disturbance, indicating that the property had been burgled. He also noticed that $5,000, two containers that had coins, and an LED flashlight were missing.

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