By: Gavincia Clarke
Nevispages.com
(CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS)- Keithroy Morton of Government Road who was ‘busted’ in his ‘weed’ patch on July 3, 2013 by police officers appeared before the District ‘C’ Magistrate Court on Tuesday, July 9, 2013.
Morton pleaded guilty to possession and cultivation of cannabis.
According to the facts read in court by Police Prosecutor, Inspector Stephen Hector, at about 10:00 a.m. on July 3, 2013, Constable Nichollas along with other officers of the Police Task Force were staking out by a plot of land located at Government Road for about 4 hours, when they saw the defendant enter the plot and began extracting and nurturing the plants.
After monitoring the defendant for some time Constable Nichollas approached the defendant and identified himself as a police officer. Morton immediately began begging the officer to give him a chance.
The cannabis plants were counted in the presence of the defendant and a total of 86 plants were collected ranging from seedlings to heights of up to six feet tall.
Her Honor, Magistrate Yasmine Clarke charged the defendant $5000.00 to be paid in 6 months or serve 6 months imprisonment for possession of cannabis and another $5000.00 to be paid in 6 months or serve 6 months imprisonment for cultivation.
These prison terms would run concurrently, if he defaults on the payments he goes to prison.
Also in the District ‘C’ Magistrate Court, last week a female juvenile was fined $2500.00 to be paid in 3 months or in default serve 3 months imprisonment after she was found with cannabis in her possession. The seventeen year old was searched at the Charlestown pier area and inside of a box she was carrying, police officer found cannabis weighing 59.2 grams.