By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
AN American tourist who was arrested at the airport for marijuana possession was yesterday bound to keep the peace for one year.
John Horouritz, 63, was arrested at Lynden Pindling International Airport on April 1 after customs officers found him with four grams of marijuana as he was preparing to leave The Bahamas.
Police said that after the accused was arrested, he admitted to the offence during an interview with police, explaining the drugs were for his personal use.
During his hearing before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday, the American said the drugs in question were really for medical purposes.
His attorney, Ryszard Humes, also confirmed the claims, saying his client used the drugs because he suffered from brain trauma.
The attorney showed the court his client’s medical marijuana card – which was on a cellular device.
However, after reviewing the card, Magistrate McKinney found that it had expired.
In view of this, Magistrate McKinney said he could not take the fact into consideration when determining his sentencing.
In a plea in mitigation, the attorney noted that his American client was a surgeon and played a very important role in society.
Mr Humes said Horowitz had no prior convictions in the jurisdiction of the Bahamas and was extremely remorseful for his actions.
Because of this, the attorney asked the court not to impose a custodial sentence.
“It was a mistake,” he said. “He has been in custody for several days and that served as a valuable lesson for him.”
Magistrate McKinney told the accused that in future, he must learn to familiarise himself with the laws of whatever country he plans on visiting to avoid a similar mishap.
As a result, the accused was bound to keep the peace for one year.
He was told that should he re-offend or commit another crime while in the jurisdiction of the Bahamas, he would be fined $500 or have to serve one month behind bars.
Ramon Rolle, 19, was also charged with drug possession after officers found him with nine grams of marijuana on April 2.
Rolle pleaded guilty to the offence during his hearing before Magistrate McKinney, saying the drugs were also for his personal use.
“There’s a lot of killing and thing going around and I ain’t trying to get involved in none of that so I buy my stuff and I go inside,” he said.
Asked whether he had any prior convictions, Rolle replied, “No.”
As a result, he was ordered to keep the peace for one year.
Failure to comply would result in a $500 fine or one month in custody.
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