Dad distances himself from son – It wasn’t me!

A father is distancing himself from his robbery accused son who bears the same name, following a barrage of accusations that he, and not his son, was the one who committed the crime. 

Jeffery Mafford Sr visited SEARCHLIGHT yesterday to publicly declare that his son, Jeffery Mafford Jr was the one who had allegedly run afoul of the law, a matter he said he was not aware of until he received a phone call from his son last week
“My family and them overseas, they call me and say what I get myself in. So I just want to get this thing clarified to make sure they don’t think it’s me,” the Belair resident said. 

“People meeting me and say ‘You ah rob fo shoes’!” and “they should jail yo fo life”. Me na know wa kinda thing them ah talk bout. Is just Thursday morning I get to know what going on.” 

In the article published last Friday in the weekend edition of SEARCHLIGHT, it was reported that Jeffery Mafford and Calford Thomas were both charged that on November 6, 2021, at Southwood, they robbed Jerry Grant, also of Southwood, by using the threat of force.

It is alleged that on the said date, robbers made off with one pair of Nike sneakers valued at $250, one double outlet worth $25, as well as $85 in cash. Therefore, Grant was relieved of a total of $360 worth of items and cash.

Jeffery Sr told SEARCHLIGHT that he is married and living in Belair, while his son lives in the family home at Southwood. 

He explained that it was his hope that Jeffery Jr would live there and farm a piece of land he also left to him, to help in earning a steady income. 

“I tell him to work the land and stay there, I never know he was going to get himself in trouble with other friends and so. So I’m just trying to clarify my name. I’m just a small business man. I work at Mental Health too and I don’t want people to think that I am a robber,” the father said. 

Jeffery Sr also noted that he was not happy to hear that his son had run afoul of the law, as it had been sometime that they had spoken with each other. 

But he added that both he and his son’s mother had warned him repeatedly to no avail. 

“People does say when you talk to children and they na hear the easy way, they will learn the hard way. So, he na used to listen to me and he mother talk to him, he don’t listen to his mother, so that’s where he wants to go,” he said. 

Jeffery Jr, along with Calford Thomas, has been granted bail in the sum of $5,000 and placed on curfew.