NASSAU-The man who killed a policeman during a carjacking gone wrong has pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty.
Timothy Cole, 49, pleaded guilty to the murder and armed robbery of Inspector Carlis Blatch on Monday, February 10, before a jury was selected to try him.
Prosecutors had planned on pursuing the death penalty but dropped it in exchange for his guilty pleas.
Justice Bernard Turner sentenced Cole to 33 years in prison after accepting a sentencing recommendation from the prosecutor.
With time off for good behavior, Cole could only serve 22 years in prison.
Blatch, 45, was waiting to pick up his child from the H.O. Nash Junior High School on September 12, 2018 when Cole, who was armed with a gun, ordered him out of a Hyundai Elantra.
Blatch, the aide-de-camp of former Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling, complied but was shot in the head during a gun battle with the robber. Cole drove off in the stolen car, which was later ditched on Farrington Road.
Cole, who was identified by two witnesses as the killer, surrendered to police on September 14, 2018 and was charged with murder and armed robbery.
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Cop killer Timothy Cole avoids death penalty with guilty plea
Man accused of home invasion murder
NASSAU-Prosecutors charged a man with murder despite his claims that he has an alibi.
Ricardo Stubbs, 25, of Cowpen Road, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on February 6 charged with the January 23 murder of Jahkeil Armbrister.
He was killed when two gunmen stormed into his home in Flamingo Gardens around 9pm.
Stubbs was not required to enter a plea to the charge and refused bail.
Stubbs, though, said he had told investigators that he had witnesses who could prove he wasn’t at the murder scene.
Stubbs said that this was the second time that police had falsely accused him of murder.
Stubbs also alleged that police had not allowed him to make any calls.
He returns to court on April 29 for the presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment.
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Trial of man accused of death threats over missing meal begins
NASSAU-A police officer allegedly failed to arrest a man whom he saw threaten his family at gunpoint, a court heard.
Prosecutors say that Temiko Smith terrorised his relatives because he couldn’t find his Christmas dinner leftovers.
The incident happened on Boxing Day at the family’s homestead on Plantol Street.
Smith’s sister Devonya Roberts said she decided to leave the house after he started cursing over the missing meal.
But her escape was hindered when her grandmother slipped and fell on a pathway outside their house, she said.
Roberts said while attending to her grandmother, her brother went to the side of the house and emerged with a handgun.
While brandishing the weapon, he allegedly said,“I’ll kill all of y’all.”
That’s when Roberts claims that Superintendent Lightfoot who lives in the neighbourhood came over and walked with her brother on the side of the house.
He was arrested after she reported the matter to a police station.
Roberts didn’t admit to eating her brother’s food when she took the stand. Neither did she say what was on his plate.
Smith’s trial for threats of death and assault with a deadly weapon continues.
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Two dead as police chase ends in crash
NASSAU-Two men were killed in a car crash after allegedly fleeing from police Saturday night.
According to police, it all began when the driver of a silver a Honda Fit led police on a high speed chase from Golden Gates.
The chase came to a tragic end when the driver Travis Colebrooke was thrown from the car when he crashed into a wall at the junction of Blue Hill Road and Moonshine Drive.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency teams cut the passenger Travis Lockhart from the wreckage and took him to hospital where he died.
Police say they found a 9mm pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition at the scene.
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Court finds negligence in officer’s shooting
NASSAU-The government is responsible for a a 2011 “ friendly fire” shooting of a police officer, a judge has found.
On August 16, Corporal Darren Rutherford was shot in the shoulder by Constable Daniel Ford while executing a search warrant on a home at McCullough Corner East allegedly occupied by a robbery suspect armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.
Rutherford sued the Commissioner of Police and Attorney General for damages. For their part, the defendants said that Ford acted in lawful self defense.
Justice Indra Charles found the defendants were negligent in issuing Ford an Uzi sub-machine gun since he was not trained to use one.
Rutherford and two other officers entered the home, where they arrested the suspect and three others, while Ford and four officers stood guard outside.
Rutherford’s team informed the officers outside that the house had been cleared and they were continuing the search for the weapon.
Rutherford was shot as he kicked open a door to a room attached to the main home.
Ford said opened fire because he feared for his life when he saw an unidentified man with a handgun when the door swung open, and quickly closed.
Since Ford knew that three armed officers were inside the home, Charles said it was necessary for him to confirm the identity of the person with the gun before he fired.
Charles said, “He also failed to exercise reasonable skill, care and diligence while acting in his capacity as a police officer.”
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Police officer charged in cutlass attack
NASSAU-A police officer accused of cutting a man on his face with a cutlass has been charged with causing harm.
Chad Brown, 32, was among a team of officers deployed to Abaco from New Providence to maintain order after Hurricane Dorian.
Brown is accused of injuring Germaine Ferguson, a security guard at the Schooner Bay Resort, on November 10, 2019.
Brown denied the charge at arraignment and has been freed on $1,000 bail.
He returns to court for trial on March 10.
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FROM STRIPPER TO MADAM: Woman accused of human trafficking
NASSAU-A former stripper has been accused of making three Jamaican women sell their bodies.
Prosecutors say Avagay Jemison, who is also Jamaican, tricked the women into the sex trade by inviting them to stay with her in Nassau.
Once they arrived, Jemison allegedly kept their passports and forced them into prostitution to reimburse her for their airfare.
Jemison, 29, who is married to a Bahamian, denied the allegations at her arraignment before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes on Friday, January 31.
When she worked as a stripper Jemison performed under the stage name Spice.
She has been remanded into custody without bail and returns to court for the start of her trial on March 31.
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BIG MIKE’S ASSISTANT ARRESTED WITH JOINT AT AIRPORT
NASSAU-The personal assistant to American rapper Big Mike was arrested at the Lynden Pindling International Airport on Tuesday after a joint was found in her luggage.
Zoe Marsh-Leigh, who had celebrated her 34th birthday at Baha Mar, was headed to back to Chicago, Illinois when she was stopped by Customs and Border Patrol Officers.
Recreational marijuana use is legal in Illinois.
Leigh, who is also a comedy producer, pleaded guilty to drug possession. A conviction was not recorded and she was given an absolute discharge.
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Woman accused of setting up robbery that led to shooting
NASSAU- A woman is suspected of setting up an armed robbery that went wrong, resulting in an attempted murder.
Police allege that D’shantae Munroe, 20, set up 56-year-old Van Johnson to be robbed outside her home on Watling Street on January 23.
Alexander Pierre Jr., otherwise known as Doole, is accused of shooting Johnson in the head during the hold-up.
Pierre allegedly got away with Johnson’s MacBook, passport and $5,250. Police allegedly found the items at Pierre’s home on Key West Street.
Pierre, his first cousin Dave Miller Jr., 27, of Key West Street, and Deonta Dawkins, 20, of Haven Road, are accused of receiving the items.
The suspects appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes today and were denied bail.
They return to court on March 27 to receive a voluntary bill of indictment that will fast-track the cases to the Supreme Court for trial.
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Man shot dead in Freeport
FREEPORT- Grand Bahama recorded its first murder of the year when a man was gunned down on Tuesday, January 28.
Officers received reports of gunshots around 7pm at Weddell Avenue. When they arrived they found Dario Pinder on the ground.
Pinder, who had been shot multiple times, was taken to hospital where he later died.
Anyone who has information that could help police find the person or persons responsible, is asked to call police on 350-3106, 911, or 919.
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