KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man was fined in court on Tuesday for operating in a jerk restaurant without a food handler’s permit.

Rohan Gayle appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court before Judge Paula Blake Powell, accused of selling jerked chicken in a jerk-themed food establishment without the proper permit to do so.

Gayle revealed he had applied for a food handler’s permit on November 4th, but only after running afoul of the law three days earlier on November 1st.

Blake Powell, in sentencing the middle-aged man, said, “I will have a little mercy on you because you went and applied.”

However, she cautioned that having the requisite food handlers training was important, especially considering what the country is currently going through.

The passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28th has heightened food safety and general health concerns locally.

Of the maximum fine of $50,000, Gayle was ordered to pay $15,000 or spend 30 days behind bars.

— Dana Malcolm