MONTEGO BAY, St James — Annette Anderson can now breathe a sigh of relief after her co-accused admitted to owning 4.75 pounds of ganja that was found inside a shop where she was seen.

Anderson, who was charged alongside Rohan Holt, was discharged, while Holt received a monetary penalty when they appeared before the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

During the hearing, Holt told presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley that while Anderson was only responsible for frying fish, he was the one who controlled the shop and would take full responsibility for the ganja.

When asked to enter a plea, Holt pleaded guilty to possession and dealing in ganja, while Anderson pleaded not guilty to the charges.

“Mr Holt, for the possession of ganja, you pay a fine of $20,000 or 30 days, and for the dealing, there is a fine of $30,000 or 30 days,” Smith-Ashley said as she handed down the sentence.

“Miss Anderson, the prosecution is not proceeding with the case against you…You are discharged…You are free to go,” the judge then told Anderson before allowing the pair to leave the courtroom.

According to court documents, on June 29, members of a police party, armed with a search warrant under the Dangerous Drugs Act, went to a shop in Anchovy, St James. Anderson was seen inside the shop, and the police informed her of the reason for their visit and showed her the warrant.

During a search of the shop, a black bag with loose ganja was found. A refrigerator was opened, and another transparent plastic bag containing the loose weed was discovered.

The cops then searched an area considered to be a kitchen space, and a black plastic bag containing more of the contraband was found under the sink.

Holt was mentioned only after the ganja was discovered and shown to both accused.

When cautioned, Holt reportedly said, “Officer, I’m a good youth…I don’t give trouble.”

Anderson remained silent when she was cautioned.

They were subsequently arrested and charged for breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Man accused of stabbing teen multiple times will face trial

A man accused of stabbing a 15-year-old boy multiple times will go to trial after an attempt to resolve the matter through mediation was unsuccessful.

Hirune Clarke, a St James resident, appeared in the parish court on Wednesday, charged with unlawful wounding.

Allegations are that about 5:45 pm on June 30, Clarke chased the teenage complainant onto William Street in Montego Bay and stabbed him multiple times with a ratchet knife.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the court was informed that a group of students had previously attacked the accused.

The complainant’s father told the court that he was not amenable to mediation based on the injuries to his son.

Despite the father’s reluctance to resolve the matter through alternative dispute resolution, the case was adjourned momentarily to allow the parties to participate in a mediation session with a probation officer present in court. However, that attempt at mediation was unsuccessful.

The case will therefore have to go to trial, but the medical certificate is still pending.

Presiding Judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley scheduled a new mention date for September 27 and extended Clarke’s bail.

Alleged lottery scammer gets April 2024 court date

A St James man, who was arrested after information connected to the illicit lottery scam was reportedly found on his cellphone, had his bail extended to April 16, 2024 when he appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

The defendant, Marlando Lamey, is charged with possession of identity information. He is represented by attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy.

The allegations are that on June 26 about 10:15 am, the Lottery Scam Task Force was on an operation in Cornwall Courts, when a cellphone in Lamey’s possession was searched and excel documents containing overseas information were discovered on the device.

Lamey was taken to his home, where his bedroom was searched and two letter-sized lead sheets were found.

In court on Wednesday, McCurdy made an application for his client’s fingerprints to be deferred, but that application was denied based on the allegations.

Meanwhile, the prosecution told presiding Judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley that the report from the Communication Forensic & Cyber Crime Division was not ready.

Lamey subsequently had his bail extended to April 16, 2024.