‘Missing’ accused remanded

Court officials will have no difficulty finding Chad Jamar Roberts for his next appearance in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ court.

That’s because Roberts who was listed as having no fixed place of abode on an almost five-year-old charge sheet, was remanded to HMP Dodds for 28 days.

The accused was 26 years old when he was charged along with three others with entering Playfair Arcade as trespassers and stealing $4,998 belonging to the business on March 7, 2014. It is further alleged that Roberts was armed with a gun at the time.

However, he had not been been attending his court dates resulting in several warrants being issued for his arrest.

“All the time I have been asking for you, where is Chad Roberts, where is Chad Roberts, nobody knows,” Magistrate Douglas Frederick told the accused who responded: “The phone I had with the dates I lose it.”

Roberts, who only attended court on Tuesday February 12 after going missing for sometime explained that he had only seen one of his co-accused the day before who told him about the date.

“The only reason you run in here today [Tuesday] is because I asked for your surety,” said Frederick before informing Roberts that he would be going to the St Philip correctional facility.

“I have a child I can’t afford to go to jail,” was Roberts response.

“You have inconvenienced everybody, now it’s time to inconvenience you,” Frederick responded before giving the accused a March 12 remand date even as his accomplices walked out of the court precincts.