Keshauna Nichols
A man is before the courts for stealing a car, from Content Gardens Ocho Rios, that was found in Kingston being operated as a taxi.
Before the court is Gary Ferguson who police say they held operating the 2007 Toyota Voxy as a taxi in Kingston.
Ferguson told the Resident Magistrate court, in St. Ann’s Bay on Thursday, December 24, that he was not the driver of the car but a passenger.
It is reported that he was using the motor vehicle as a taxi to transport passengers in Kingston when he was stopped by a police officer.
The owner of the stolen motor vehicle who was in court told The Times that his Toyota Voxy was locked up in his garage on Tuesday, December 1 and when he woke up the next morning his car was missing as were the locks on his garage.
Senior RM Andrea Thomas asked the accused if he was driving the car. Ferguson said no, he was just a passenger in the motor vehicle. He said the motor vehicle was carrying 10 passengers, including himself at the time it was stopped by police. He added that one of the police officer on the scene knew him from a previous crime for which he served time and started to question him. The police officer arrested him for stealing the motor vehicle.
The owner of the vehicle said the car did not receive any major damage. He said the thief apparently broke the small triangular window at the front to get into the vehicle.
But he said he wants his car to be released from the Elletson Road Police Station and the $30,000 towing fee to be removed.
RM Thomas told the complainant he will not have to pay the fine because the motor vehicle was the subject of criminal charges. The investigating officer was not in court on Thursday and the RM asked that he be present on Monday, December 28 when the case was set to continue.
