By Farah Johnson

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

SEVEN people who were caught playing dominoes outside during the national curfew were charged in the Magistrate’s court on Friday.

Julietta Bain, 38; Latisha Woodside, 26; Shantia Mackey,41; Jean Ale, 54; Emmanuel Louis, 42; Patchranell Evans,27; and Wilkins Oscar, 26, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney after officers found them on Cumberbatch Alley around 4.50pm on Thursday.

All of the defendants pleaded guilty to the charge and were each fined $400 or four months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BCDS), except for Bain who was given a $250 fine or three months in prison and Woodside, who was ordered to pay $500 or spend three months at the BCDS.

Prosecutor Bridgette Strapp said officers acting on information went to the Cumberbatch Alley area where they observed a group of people sitting down and playing dominoes. Sgt Strapp said the people were asked whether they were aware of the curfew and if they had good reason to be outdoors, but failed to give police a satisfactory answer. As a result, they were taken to the Central Detective Unit (CDU) where they denied committing the offence during a record of interview under caution.

Bain told Magistrate McKinney that she had only left her house to collect “some funds” from her friend. Her sister, Latisha Woodside, told Magistrate McKinney she had gone with Bain to get $10 to buy something for their kids to eat, because they did not have any food or water at home. When asked why she felt the need to accompany Bain knowing that a national curfew was being enforced, Woodside said that there were a lot of girls in their neighbourhood that wanted to fight them, so she wanted to walk with Bain to make sure that she got where she was going safely.

Louis, on the other hand, told the magistrate he had only gone outdoors to get some water from the pump, because he had none in his home. Still, he admitted that on his way back he saw a co-worker that he wanted to hail, so he carried the bottles of water home and went back around the corner to speak with his friend.

Jonell Henderson, 20, was also charged after officers found her on Gladstone Road and John F Kennedy Drive around 8.40pm on April 22. She pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $400 or four months at the BCDS. During the hearing, she said she was outside because she had just come from getting medication from the pharmacy for her grandmother and stopped by a friend to “discuss school work” on her way home.

Malancus Forbes, 49, also appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis for violating the national curfew after police found him on Arawak Cay around 4.50am on April 23. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $300 or 20 days in prison.

When given an opportunity to speak, Forbes said that he was trying to catch “one or two fish” because he was hungry. He also claimed to have a toothache that made it hard for him to sleep at night and told Magistrate Rolle-Davis that he had to “get out to the saltwater” because painkillers did nothing to numb his discomfort.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff