western bureau
Three labourers who were employed to the Riu Hotel under construction in Montego Bay, St James, were granted bail on Thursday when they faced the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court to answer to a simple larceny charge.
The men, Mark Houston, 28, of West End in Negril, Westmoreland; Fitzroy Dickson, 27, of Bamboo, St. Ann; and Otis James, 37, of Irwin, St James, were all arrested and charged after $40,000 worth of construction material and tools belonging to the hotel were recovered from a location on the property they had occupied.
All three pleaded not guilty to the charge and were also granted bail with up to two sureties in the sum of $100,000. Houston is to report to the Negril police, Dickson to the Bamboo police and James to the Adelphi police on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Passing buckets
Allegations are that on July 26, a security guard on duty observed the men passing buckets through a fence and then into a nearby hut. The guard informed the projects manager of his observation and they both went to the hut where they saw a large quantity of construction tools and material valued at $40,000. The police were called in and the accused men were arrested.
However, Houston's attorney, Adrian Dayes - who made a bail application on behalf of the trio - told the court that the area in which the alleged stolen items were stored is an area that is accessed by several other persons. He said the men are optimistic about an acquittal, as they are adamant that they were not responsible for stealing the items.
The men, who were employed to the site for less than a month, are scheduled to return to court on August 26.
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