For Andrew Baptist, 25, supervisor at Marion Jones Sports Complex, and his girlfriend Trecia Usher, 26, Bacab Eco Park cashier, both residents of Mile 16 ½, Northern Highway, Sandhill Village, March 7 brought more than just political heat; it brought police heat as well.
Yesterday afternoon at about 1:30, members of the Gang Suppression Unit visited the home of Baptist, claiming they had received a report about a male flushing what appeared to be a firearm.
Both Baptist and Usher appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer to answer to these charges; Usher pleaded not guilty, while Baptist pleaded guilty with an explanation.
Because he pleaded guilty, the facts of the case were then read in the court. Police report that after arriving at Baptist’s residence, members of the GSU told him that they were going to search his residence, then asked if he had anything to declare. His response, according to them, was no.
The police then proceeded with their search, which resulted in the discovery of a black Orion brand flare gun, which was under a pillow on Baptist’s bed.
Baptist was shown the firearm and informed that he would be arrested and charged with “kept prohibited firearm”.
The police also observed that the flare gun seemed adapted to operate as a firearm.
After the facts were read to the court, Senior Magistrate Frazer asked Baptist if he agreed with the facts of the case; he did not agree with the facts given by the police because he did, in fact, declare to the GSU officers that he had the flare gun.
Baptist also explained that in 2006, the flare gun was given to him by a member of the British Army Training Unit of Belize (BATSUB), and had been written off, as not working.
Baptist was also upset that although the police were informed that Usher did not reside there, and only visited him, they went to her workplace to arrest her.
He then asked if his guilty plea could be changed to not guilty. The magistrate did not accept his not guilty plea, but before she could enter an equivocal plea on his behalf, Baptist asked the magistrate, again, to please withdraw his guilty plea to a not guilty one, but she went ahead and entered the equivocal plea.
Unfortunately for Baptist, he was informed by Senior Magistrate Frazer that, based on the new laws, she could not offer bail to either of them, and they would have to be remanded to jail.
They are to reappear in court on April 26, 2012.