The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

A FATHER was fined yesterday for drug possession after police found the contraband in his home.

David Gardner, 41, of Rupert Dean Lane, appeared before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of possession of drugs and possession of drugs with intent to supply.

On March 22, after police conducted a search of the residence in the presence of the accused, they uncovered a pink container that held suspected drugs in them. These drugs were later positively identified as 1.5 oz of Indian hemp and two grams of cocaine.

In court, Gardner pleaded guilty to both charges against him. The mother of his children, Normaneka Sands, 27, who was at the home when police found the drugs, was also arraigned with him on the same charges. She pleaded not guilty.

Gardner admitted to the court that while the drugs were his, they were only for his personal use and that Sands had nothing to do with them. He further explained that while Sands is the mother of his newly born twins they have not slept together in the same room in the apartment since the birth of their children and that the drugs were found in his room.

Gardner also asked that the court take into consideration his early plea of guilty so as not to waste the court’s time as he appealed for mercy and said that he had managed to stay out of jail since 2011.

He also told the magistrate he had no intention of joining the violent “drug war” in his area which Gardner stated was responsible for three shootings there in the past two days.

While Magistrate McKinney initially did not believe that Gardner had no intention of selling the drugs, after the accused explained that he had no interest in putting his family at risk from losing their breadwinner, the magistrate reduced the charges against him to simple possession.

The magistrate then sentenced Gardner to a fine of $500 or four months in prison for the Indian hemp possession and another fine of $200 or two months in custody for the cocaine. He also placed him on 18 months’ probation. If Gardner faces any further charges during that time he will have to spend three months in custody.

Magistrate McKinney granted a discharge to Sands on her charges.

Another man also faced separate drug charges before Magistrate McKinney.

Travon Rolle, 25, appeared in court for charges of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

On March 23, Rolle was arrested after police found one ounce of Indian hemp on his person.

This came after officers on mobile patrol stopped Rolle for speeding in a Honda Accord and their subsequent search of him and his vehicle for dangerous drugs and firearms uncovered the marijuana in 13 foil wrappings.

In court, Rolle pleaded guilty to the charge against him.

He admitted to the court that the drugs were for his personal use. He then explained that he used them to cope with the stresses of being the sole working member of his household, as well as the death of his brother and his grandmother’s recent stroke.

When the magistrate asked if smoking dope helped him make more money Rolle told him no, leading to Magistrate McKinney suggesting that the accused stop smoking.

While Rolle had an earlier drug conviction in 2020 for which he was fined $500, the magistrate still chose to reduce his charges to simple possession.

Magistrate McKinney then ordered Rolle to pay a fine of $700 or face three months in prison.