ST JAMES, Jamaica— A St James woman accused of driving into a woman’s car and damaging her rear light, escaped punishment after resolving the matter through alternative dispute resolution.

Renee Brown appeared in the Parish Court on Wednesday to face a charge of malicious destruction of property.

According to court records, on May 11, about 7:30 pm, at Bogue Village in the parish, Brown, the complainant and another person were arguing about a previous collision. Brown became boisterous and began cursing. She then got into her car and drove into the complainant’s parked car, damaging her backlight.

“Did you do it?” presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley asked Brown after hearing the allegations.

“No, I didn’t,” Brown replied.

“So how was her car damaged?” the judge asked.

“It got damaged when she previously reversed into my car,” Brown explained.

Smith-Ashley then asked the parties if they wanted to sit with a mediator to try and resolve their differences, to which they agreed.

The case was briefly stood down to allow the parties to speak with the mediator.

When the case was revisited, the clerk of the court reported that the complainant had stated that they had been unable to reach an agreement and that she wanted to end the case.

The judge then asked the complainant about her challenges, and she stated that she had decided to bear the cost of the damage to her car because she was ill and did not have the time to return to court.

When Brown was asked about her challenges, she stated that they would both fix their vehicles.

The judge informed the parties that the court would require a written agreement, and the case was adjourned for the second time to allow for that.

When the matter was mentioned again, Brown entered a not-guilty plea to end the criminal proceedings, and the prosecution offered no evidence against her.