A notorious daytime gold thief who reportedly threatened ladies on the streets with a knife to steal their gold jewelry has been caught and sentenced.
Kerge Jno Baptiste of Tarreau, who pleaded guilty to stealing a gold chain and pendant from Andra Laurent costing $5,000 and one belonging to Jocelyn Jervier valued at $1,400, both at King George the V Street in Roseau was sentenced to pay over $4,000 in fines by month end or he will face jail time.
Jno Baptiste was also charged for the possession of an offensive weapon (knife). He appeared before Chief Magistrate Evelina Baptiste last week.
The first complainant, Laurent, was standing on the street near Ball Heads restaurant on July 5,2010 talking to a friend when the defendant approached, her pulled the chain from her neck and ran. Laurent made a report to police and a search warrant was obtained and executed at the defendant’s home on July 21 at 4 a.m. Police met Jno Baptiste with the chain on his neck, minus the pendant at that time.
Laurent later identified the chain, according to the prosecutor.
The next complainant, according to the facts of the case, was standing on the same street on July 15,2010 when the defendant walked up to her with a knife, burst her chain and pendant and ran away. A warranted search of his home resulted in the police finding the gold chain and pendant which were also later identified by the complainant.
“Officer, on a girl I take that,” the defendant told police.
When asked to mitigate on his own behalf, Jno Baptiste said, “your honour my girlfriend pregnant.”
“That’s the example you going to be showing your son or daughter? I cannot believe that,” the magistrate replied.
It was revealed that Jno Baptiste has several previous offenses- two of the same kind. “You are 23 and you are not doing very good…If people want things…they work for it,” the magistrate advised.
He was fined $1,800 to be paid by July 31 or he will spend seven months in prison for the theft relating to Laurent. He will also pay compensation of $400 to her by that same date or face four months in prison. He will serve that sentence consecutively with the previous. The chain was returned to the owner.
Jno Baptiste was also to pay a fine of $1,200 for the second theft, by July 30 or he will face six months in prison, and $400 by the same date or he will spend another four months in prison. This sentence will run concurrent to the first theft sentence.
He was also fined $500 for the possession of the offensive weapon to be paid by July 30 or he will spend three months in prison. This sentence will also run concurrently.
The prosecutor revealed that there were over six arrests warrants issued for Jno Baptiste, who was still being investigated for thefts and other crimes.
In another matter, which he appeared jointly charged with Aaron Xavier of the same community, for the possession, intent to supply and cultivation of cannabis, Jno Baptiste pleaded not guilty to all charges while his co-defender pleaded guilty to only the cultivation charge.
According to the charges, the Xavier had cultivated 166 full grown cannabis trees at his residence in Tarreau.
All other charges were dropped against the defendants and Xavier was fined $30,000 to be paid straight away or he will spend nine months in prison on the cultivation conviction.
One should be able to walk freely in any country with a million dollar jewely without being rob when i come home i will wear my jewely, , and any one try to take it they will be dealt with street justice my way.please make apptment with the undertaker, six feet down .
mind me
@local tiger: true sin i back u my brother they coming out all over the place and cominig and spoil our little village name
It doesn’t matter that the chain seems expensive to anyone, the owner has a legitimate right to wear his or her property as she sees fit without encroachment on her person and robbery of her property.
Y’all jus runnin y’all mouths…$5000 or $10000..does it matter? it isnt urs…get ur own…Be it my chain wud be another story…these lil punks kno who they playin with…i cud wear a million dollar chain…i wud want to see they biggest toughest person come touch it as if we bought it in two…some of y’all jus need to get someting constructive to do n enough wif tha bull y’all jus sit here talkin
EVELINA BAPTIST OR WHAT IS HER NAME SHOULD BE FIRED, SHE AFRAID OF THOSE CRIMINALS SO SHE MERELY BRUSH THEM ON THEIR PALM…
MAN AFTER YOU USE AN OFFENSIVE WEAPON AND YOU STEAL AND YOU SAY ALL SORT OF OFFENSIVE THINGS TO A PERSON WHILE DOING THE ACT, 6 MONTH FOR THIS 6 MONTHS FOR THAT.
….
SHE IS PART OF THE PROBLEM IN DOMINICA………
Justice in DA is a joke most of the time.
To One n All n especially those who rejoice in the downfall of others: “You never know what its like until it happens to you”…Grow Up!
@hmmmmmmmmmm…..Were u there when it happened? Noooooo…..so how can u say that story have tooo much liesssss….If the guy had stab her i guess u would say another thing…all u just like to say what u all don’t know…so if its not their bling..steal they steal it then….Wearing what is yours is not showing offf..it is enjoying what u like…some of us to like to rejoice when something bad happen to ppl…well i can say my friend work damnnnnn hard for what she wore..
hello mr. not from tareeau d man is a voler from from wherever he came to tarreau and further spoiling the name of the little village …….get all u facts straight……that jno baptiste fellar noty from TARREAU
Hats off to the police for recoverin the stolen goods…..on another note yes people can wear wat dey work for but wen u doh work for wat u blingin with and u jus plain show-off and think u can impress ppl with all those BLINGS these kinda things are expected….we shld take heed from ppl who’ve been in those situations…as a matter of fact dat story hv too much lies…too many different stories on dat incident from ppl papa…..all of a sudden the guy had knife…hmmm belle beffe pou jeff announce…again good job police men…dat gold for money business causin plenty problems here
Concern! why you coming on here chatting S**t. you don’t have to be rich to have a $ 5000.00 chain. Look you on internet posting s***, you have money to pay bills every month?
sound like you mega poor and have internet…
@Out There: I TOTALLY AGREE
@nice girl:
Of course i agree with you 1000%……….What is it nuh now .. Hard working people can buy what they want ! 1 there choice .
Some ppl are so shallow and its shallow folks like this who make these scumbs think that what they’re doing is actually okay and IT IS NOTTTTTTTTTTT….geeez …….its funny how the smartest ppl say the stupidest things
people who are hard working should bye whatever they want and should
be able to wear it freely because it is not stolen but was paid for.
@justice…Jno Baptiste and Baptiste, its two different names.
ok they found the chaines and the thieft but my question is why would some one be walking around with a $5000, chain and you a not a rich person what is the gremix and
Oh please…………………..the lady could have a chain costing $5000 its not a crime, these little punks need to respect ppl.
@Vee:
So ppl cant enjoy the fruits of their labour?…the better questions is why on god’s greem earth do these unambitious, dependant sackway feh-yan young boys do not respect ppl n their property? and go look for work or other non-criminial activities to support the life styles they want…ppl who work hard should reward themselves with whatsoever they desire precisely because they worked hard for it…
Right on Honeyman! Ideas well spoken and well written.
These are the kind of voices that should be heard and ideas accepted and well respected.
Way to go, for the future of our Dominica.
I would like the police to pay attention to the area on Virgin Lane at the front of the Cathedral especially on Thursdays. A couple weeks ago a young man lurking around the gate tried to snatch a lady’s chain in her neck in the church yard. Luckily, she was able to hold on to it so the thief did not make off with it. The young man was working in conjunction with another right on the grounds of the Cathedral. Locals as well as tourists need protection when they go to pray for the Dominican society which is fast sliding into moral decay.
These are desperate times, no red clinic and handouts so the hardworking Dominican is fair game. In addition to the sentence, he should get some cat-o- nine in his a…..
I am glad that the criminal was caught and the properties were recovered. My question now is, what on eath is anybody in Dominica doing walking around with a $5000. chain.
i got this really expensive chain from my mum as a gift,and this is exactly the reason why i dont wear it all,for real i am afraid that i might get hurt for my own chain.
just think about the community thief is baptist and judge is baptise just imagine this man robbing people in people brod day light which he sopose to be in jail 3 years curruntly for each offence but i guess he is a baptist so he will go scott free how we are going to get a better dominica when we aint setting example with does criminal by puting them in jail we only looking justice and thats it.
At least the police do something. They never did anything in my case and up to this day I cannot find my chain. Well… at least they working…
Clearly! this defendant is a seasoned criminal his records speaks for it self. Hats off to the police and the complainant also the well intend members of the public who assisted. Having said that i understand that the magistrate has his or her own deliberate judgement in their decision making Re matters brought before them. Clearly! we are dealing with what appears to be a crime wave in our country and we should stop at nothing with a view to stamping out that situation. I am appealing to all law abiding citizen and also the so call bad guys to stand up and be counted the next victim may be us or our children. I am suggesting to all media houses to come together in colaboration with the police and other law enforcement agency to establish a criminal and crime corner dayand time to be determine by the people in those establishments. Where criminals convicted of crimes should have their faces plasted all over the country in an attempt to expose them for who they are,believe me we might think Dominica is small and every body knows each other i beg to differ the criminals travel to the other parts of our community and they are becoming more abrasive. If we see something suspicious there should be a special “Hot line to the police to report unsual activites without reaveling our name. If we sit and pass blame while the country is under attack it will serve no purpose what soever we all need to live in a peaceful and crime free Dominica.