‘Tear Drops’ sentenced to 18 months in jail for theft

Ottley Hall/Bequia resident Shamaii “Tear Drops” Hazell will spend the next 18 months in jail, having been found guilty of theft.

Magistrate Carla James sentenced the 19-year-old to a term of 18 months in jail, after finding him guilty on Tuesday, at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court.{{more}}

He was charged with theft of a gold chain valued at over $2,000, the property of Keith Ollivierre, an omnibus operator of Campden Park.

In his testimony, Ollivierre told the court that on February 27, 2015, at about 9 a.m., he drove from the Leeward Bus Terminal and stopped to pick up a passenger in the area of the Agricultural Input Warehouse on Bay Street.

He said that while waiting for the passenger to enter the omnibus, he felt something like a hand touching the back of his neck.

“I feel a hand come from behind me and touching up my neck. I thought it was one of the passengers trying to tell me something. I made a slight turn and realized somebody was pushing their hand through the window behind me to grab my chain,” Ollivierre related.

He said he tried to unbuckle his seatbelt to reach for his firearm, but had difficulty doing so.

“My conductor realized what was happening and tried holding onto Hazell’s hand. He had me by the neck and I turned again and recognized the person had a small tattoo in his face,” Ollivierre recalled.

He said the chain burst and fell inside his T-shirt. At that time, he said he was able to grab hold of his firearm.

“He let me go and ran to the opposite side of the bank and picked up two stones. I told my conductor that I had the chain and let’s go,” Ollivierre said, adding that he then lodged a complaint at the Central Police Station.

Representing himself, Hazell told Ollivierre that he had mistaken him for someone else, as he is not the only person in St Vincent who has a tattoo of tear drops on his face.

Desroy Jack, the conductor on the omnibus, told the court that he saw when Hazell held onto his boss’s neck, while standing outside the vehicle.

“I go cross and grip on to his hand and he let go the boss. He hold on to the van and started pulling away.

Jack said he held onto Hazell for approximately five minutes and was able to see his face clearly.

Relating his side of the story, Hazell said he left Ottley Hall that morning and went to Rose Place where he purchased some marijuana.

He said he spoke and smoked with a friend there before proceeding to the area of the Kingstown cemetery to catch a van to head back home.

In May this year, police issued a wanted poster of Hazell, whom they said was considered armed with a gun and dangerous and wanted by the police for questioning for a series of armed robberies and other offences.

Hazell still has other charges pending.(KW)