By PAVEL BAILEY
A BAHAMAS Department of Corrections officer was yesterday found guilty of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.
Kevan Seymour, 49, and his partner of 15-years, Suzette Smith, 47, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney for sentencing in their trial after they were arrested for drugs on May 15, 2020.
On that day, RBPF officers went to the Fire Trail Road apartment where the corrections officer had helped arrange for Smith and her son to live. Acting on a search warrant the officers entered the premises after Seymour, who was visiting, opened the door.
During their search, officers, with the assistance of a sniffer dog, discovered suspected drugs in a bedroom under the mattress on which Smith was lying.
A further search of the premises uncovered a plastic bag containing more suspected drugs hidden under towels in a dresser. Police then arrested both Seymour and Smith acting on the assumption that they had intended to sell the drugs.
Police later identified the drugs as marijuana with a combined weight of 317.3 grams and an estimated value of $1,900.
During questioning, the suspects gave conflicting reports as to why Seymour was at Smith’s residence at the time of the police search. While the corrections officer indicated he had spent the night before there, Smith said he hadn’t.
Smith’s son had already appeared in court on his own charges in connection with this incident, but had been granted a discharge.
In court yesterday, Magistrate McKinney found both suspects guilty of possession of drugs with intent to supply despite both maintaining their innocence.
The defendants’ legal counsel asked for leniency for her clients saying that Seymour had worked with the Department of Corrections for 29 years earning two commendations and saying he was just “an inch shy away from earning his pension”. She then described how Seymour was both the father of a four-year-old child and an exemplary citizen with no prior antecedents.
She also explained it was only due to their relationship that Seymour was visiting Smith’s apartment at the time of their arrest as he went there daily. Seymour’s counsel implored the Magistrate to take these factors into consideration as she asked that the court exercise its judicial discretion and grant Seymour an absolute discharge.
Smith also maintained her innocence after the Magistrate’s verdict stating she doesn’t smoke or sell drugs and that she is a working woman. She also went on to say she never took any suspicious packages to prison on Seymour’s behalf.
While Magistrate McKinney noted neither defendant had taken responsibility for their actions or appeared remorseful after his guilty verdict, he elected not to give either of them a custodial sentence.
Instead, both accused were ordered to pay separate fines of $1,500 each or spend three months in custody. The magistrate gave them until Wednesday, March 2, to pay the fines in full.
Seymour and Smith were also informed of their right to appeal.
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