-item misplaced as cops confronted during attempted arrest
Accused of stealing a police radio set, Guyhoc Park resident Ruel Chapman was yesterday granted a bail release after telling a court that he was charged with the crime after he helped lawmen to recover the item.
Chapman appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and he pleaded not guilty to the simple larceny charge as well as to a count of unlawful and malicious wounding.
According to Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, on May 17th, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters were in Georgetown to make an arrest. However, when they attempted to arrest the person, they were confronted by a group of men. A scuffle ensued and during this time the radio set of a policeman, worth $150,000, was misplaced.
An investigation into the matter revealed that Chapman was in possession of the stolen article. He was subsequently arrested and he took ranks to a drain by El Latino bar, where the item was recovered.
Even though Mansfield objected to bail on the basis that Chapman stole the article, the objection was overruled by the Chief Magistrate based on Chapman’s account of the event.
According to him, on that night the radio set was stolen he was travelling in a taxi in the vicinity of the robbery when the taxi driver told him of the incident. He relayed to the court that the taxi driver said that during the scuffle someone kicked the radio into the gutter.
Chapman said shortly after, he was confronted by the police who told him that they were looking for their radio. Based on what he was told by the taxi driver, Chapman took them to the drain he was told of. He said that when the radio was recovered, even though he was innocent, he was charged and arrested.
Chapman was also accused of maliciously wounding Caleb Caesar on the 17th of March at Station Street, Kitty. It was Mansfield’s case that on the said day, while Caesar was walking down the road, Chapman approached him and dealt him a chop to the neck and arm. Caesar was subsequently hospitalised and the matter was reported. Chapman was then charged and arrested.
Mansfield submitted to the court that he had information which suggests that Chapman has pending matters in other courts, which include armed robbery and attempted murder. However, he was unable to verify this and Chapman denied the allegations, claiming he has never had any previous trouble with the law.
Chapman was granted $75,000 bail on the simple larceny charge and $150,000 on the wounding charge. He will return to court on June 2nd.