By: Gavincia Clarke
Nevispages.com
(CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS)- In less than a week Vedell Browne who was freed of all accusations of robbing a U.S Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Breyer was back before the District ‘C’ Magistrate Court but this time for cannabis possession.
Neatly attired, the Gingerland resident appeared before the District ‘C’ Magistrate Court on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 and pleaded guilty of having in his possession 5.4 grams of cannabis.
The facts of the case read by Police Prosecution, Inspector Trevor Mills is that on March 15, 2013 at about 7:55 p.m. allotted number 714 Constable Lynchard Charles along with other officers of the Task Force were on duty at the Seabridge area when he saw the defendant disembark the vessel with two bags.
Officer Charles approached the defendant, identified himself and told the defendant that he would like to conduct a search on him. The defendant replied ‘the bags are not mine. I’m holding them for somebody that is coming off the boat’. Nonetheless the officer conducted the search and in one of the bags the officer found a green vitamin bottle containing capsules and also inside was vegetable material suspected to be cannabis.
When questioned at the station about the findings, he replied, ‘Officer I don’t smoke, I brought the drugs up for somebody and I take the vitamins because I’m a painter.’
When asked by Her Honor, Magistrate Yasmine Clarke if he had anything to say, Browne said, ‘I will like you to tell the officers to stop harass me’. To this the Magistrate informed him that she could not advise the officers not to search him. She informed him that the officers were entitled to search anyone at anytime. She further explained that every week persons appear before the court who officers have found with drugs as they disembarked the vessels. Magistrate Clarke told Browne that he was no different.
Browne told the court that he has life hard now. ‘Everybody watched me like a robber, I was wrongfully accused’, he said.
He was fined $500.00 to be said in 3 months or in default serve 1 month imprisonment.
Browne became popularly known in society after he was charged with the robbery a 73 year old U.S Supreme Court Justice with a machete at his Golden Rock vacation house of $1200.00 USD on February 9, 2012.
Browne faced was plastered all across top regional and international news broadcasts and websites. On March 14, 2013 the matter was brought before the court and Inspector Trevor Mills withdrew all charges.
Additionally, Mervin Mills of Westbury in court on Tuesday pleaded guilty of having cannabis in his possession to supply to another.
According to the facts at about 9:25 a.m. allotted number 761 Kennedy Stevens was on bike patrol duty at the Charlestown pier when he saw the defendant disembark the M.V. Mark Twain.
The officer searched the defendant and one white plastic bag containing 43 dime bags of vegetable material suspected to be cannabis were found. The drug weighed a total of 64 grams.
After giving the court a long explanation of how the drugs ended up in his possession and having no knowledge of the drug, Magistrate Clarke told Mills that she was going to charge him $3000.00 but she would add an additional $2000.00 for him lying to her.
Mills was fined $5000.00 to be paid in 6 months or serve 6 months at Her Majesty’s Prison.