Teenager tells police he carried knife to cut bread

Nineteen-year-old Isaiah Bedneau was quick to come up with a practical explanation when he was caught with a black-handle knife on the Roseau River Bank. He informed police that the knife was needed to cut bread for his little sister’s snack.

Bedneau, who appeared before a Roseau magistrate today, was approached by Police Constable Cornelius J. at about 2:00 p.m. on January 28, 2010. He was sitting near the East Bridge among other men.

Bedneau appeared suspicious, causing the police officer to become concerned and prompting a search of the young man. Constable Cornelius J. found the offensive weapon in a black bag Bedneau possessed.

When Bedneau was asked about the 12-inch black-handle knife, he replied “This is for my little sister, to cut her bread for her break at school.”

At the police station when Bedneau was informed he was being charged for carrying an offensive weapon without an appropriate reason, he said “Officer, I have to carry my little sister home.”

On seeing the knife, Magistrate Ossie Lewis asked Bedneau whether it looked like a bread knife. Bedneau told the court that he did not bring the knife to town with him, rather he found it at the market and put it in his little sister’s bag.

“When the officer found it I was ‘fraid and didn’t know what to say,” he stated.

Lewis cautioned him that it was a very serious offence to carry an offensive weapon. “You can’t convince anyone that it is to cut a piece of bread for your sisters. Having this weapon predisposes you to engaging in violence,” the magistrate said.

Magistrate Lewis further warned Bedneau to avoid any activity which would expose him to criminal behaviour. “Do not put yourself in anything to contravene the law … you can cause some serious harm maybe to yourself …You’re 19 years, keep clear of anything that would get you into any criminal activities,” he cautioned.

Magistrate Lewis considered Bedneau’s guilty plea along with the fact that he was a first time offender.

Bedneau was ordered to pay the court $400 by March 31 or spend six weeks in prison. The magistrate noted that he normally would impose a fine of twice that amount for such an offence.

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16 Comments

  1. homemade stcroix
    August 27, 2010

    this boy is no bedneau please lady get the boys real dad we bedneaus are peace loving citizens and are doing good things where ever we go. Hats off to the police good job don’t take bribes/

  2. To "IRIE"
    February 1, 2010

    LMAO…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…NOT A FUNNY SITUATION BUT DEFINITELY A FUNNY INTERPRETATION!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH

  3. Respect
    January 31, 2010

    I would like to commend the police officer(s) for a job well done, and I would like to tell the youths to stay away from violence! You are the future of tomorrow and we the older generations are depending on you to uphold the standards that were set long before we were born.

    On another note…………….. don’t you think that in a case like this we should have a juvenille hall for this young boy instead of prison? We need to inject positive vibes in him so that he can have a better future for tomorrow, rather than spending time in jail with hardened criminals who would just maybe teach him how to be a better delinquent.

    It is time that we, the dominican public, start supporting our youth, because like it or not they are dominicans and they are ambassadors who represent us in all they do where ever they are. Start pulsing the positive vibes! We are examples for the young people let us start acting like ones.

  4. January 31, 2010

    corn curlz u have jokes after school u goin an cut breed 4 ur sis.lol

  5. Irie
    January 31, 2010

    A 12 inch knife to cut bread for his little sister snack…..well maybe de police should go in search of that bread….because to me if you need a knife like that to cut bread, I think that bread can be classified as a deadly weapon! If that bread hit a person in their head it sounds like is brain damage it will cause!

  6. STRONG LABOURITE
    January 30, 2010

    one ting them new police recruits really doing some good jobs lol

  7. WHAT IS THAT
    January 30, 2010

    THAT BREAD WAS REALLY HARD BOY..

  8. GOOD en EASY
    January 30, 2010

    We Dominicans like myself applaud the officer for work well done. Your work effort to keep crime off our street and elsewhere did not go unnotice. Hats off.

  9. SPIRIT
    January 30, 2010

    Well done officer, this shows that there are hard working police men and women out there who are very vigilant.

  10. good
    January 30, 2010

    good

  11. iv
    January 29, 2010

    i raddar spend 6 weeks

  12. January 29, 2010

    Just Like That !

    Its time to clean up the streets. Great job police.

  13. January 29, 2010

    that will be an example for the others who intend to carry weapons during the carnival season…
    STOP THE VIOLENCE!!!

  14. mwenmem
    January 29, 2010

    Very good intuition from the police officer. He may have thwarted a potentialy dangerous crime.

    Well done, well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  15. January 29, 2010

    bread knives will be 1 of many weapons attending carnival 2k10.

    Watch yourself.

  16. all-in-1
    January 29, 2010

    what a response!

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