Alfie Garraway, who surrendered to the police last week after a wanted bulletin was issued for him, was released on $120,000 bail yesterday after denying charges of illegal possession of a gun and ammunition.
Garraway, of Lot 71 Norton Street, Lodge, was charged at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday. He had previously been charged and awaits a trial for allegedly being one of the persons responsible for lobbing a grenade outside of the offices of the Kaieteur News newspaper.
A wanted bulletin had been issued for him after police raided his home and found an unlicensed gun as well as ammunition and marijuana. A woman, Shalisa Ellis, who was at the house at the time of the search, was not present in court yesterday due to a medical emergency, according to the court prosecutor.
The charges against Garraway, which were read by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, stated that on October 5th, 2019, at his home of Lot 71 Norton Street, Lodge, he had in his possession a Smith and Wesson .40 pistol while he was not the holder of a firearm licence at the time. He was also charged with having 8 live rounds of .40 ammunition in his possession on the same day at his home while he was not the holder of a firearm licence at the time.
Lastly he was charged with having 13 grammes of cannabis in his possession, on the same date and at the same location.
Garraway, 39, pleaded not guilty to each charge. He was represented by attorney Stanley Moore, who told the court that at the time when the illegal articles where found Garraway was in the interior.
Moore added that the police conducted a search of his clients’ home while he was not there and that the woman who was present was arrested and later released on $100,000 bail. He added that the police published a wanted bulletin for his client, who upon seeing it reported to the Mackenzie Police Station.
The attorney also reminded the court that while Garraway was present in court yesterday, Ellis was not even there though she was the only person present on the day the home was searched.
Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield inform-ed the court that on the day in question, a party of police officers from the Major Crimes Unit and the Brickdam Police Station went to the home, where they met Ellis. She permitted them to conduct a search of the home and during the search, the pistol along with the eight rounds of ammunition and suspected cannabis were found. Ellis was arrested and taken to the Brickdam Police Station, where she was later released on bail. Further investigations led to a wanted bulletin being issued and Garraway eventually turned himself into the police. When he was told of the allegation, he denied it and upon further advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, both Garraway and Ellis were to be brought before the court.
The prosecutor did not object to Garraway being released on bail but he did ask that he be made to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, every Friday until the matter is completed.
The magistrate subsequently released Garraway on $100,000 bail for the gun possession charge and $20,000 bail for the ammunition charge. He was also released on self-bail for the possession of cannabis charge and told that he must report to the CID Headquarters every Friday at 8 am.
He was advised to return to court on November 13th for report and the full disclosure of the matter.
In addition to yesterday’s charges, Garraway has a pending matter at the High Court. Garraway is accused of unlawfully and maliciously conspiring with other persons to cause an explosion by way of using a grenade, which was likely to endanger life or cause serious damage to property. He was one of the three who were arrested and charged with allegedly committing the act of throwing a grenade at a vehicle belonging to Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall, which was parked in front of the building. The grenade, which did not explode, landed near the front wheels of the vehicle. The device was later destroyed by bomb experts at the Kingston seawall.
