Car thief pleads guilty

When a St James resident parked his motorcar in his driveway one October evening in 2015, he never thought it would disappear by the following morning.

But that is exactly what happened to Vernon King’s vehicle between October 15 and 16, almost four years ago.

Today, auto body repairman Mario Ricardo Absalom, of no fixed place of abode, owned up to stealing King’s $52,000 vehicle and two others.

King owned the Toyota vehicle and used it on a daily basis for work. He parked the car around 9:30 p.m. the first night and he was preparing to leave home for work the following day when he realised it was missing. The matter was reported to police.

Absalom was later arrested, told of the report and declined to have a lawyer present before admitting to the crime.

“Yes we did stole the car and I believe we should get kill for that,” he reportedly told police when questioned.

He was then asked who he was
referring to when he said “we” and called another person’s name, who Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis who is holding papers for her colleague Oliver Thomas, referred to as X.

“Me and a partner named X . . . who live in Christ Church, Silver Hill. He is the man that taught me to steal cars.

Absalom, who is also known by the alias Popkite, also dictated a statement to police.        

The now convicted man who was 21 years old at the time said he was at home when his partner came by and told him “come let we go rolling”. They drove to Orange Hill and as they were passing saw King’s car parked in his garage.

“We saw a white car in front a house so we pull off the road and went for it. When I draw close I realise the sort of car it was. I told him that I cannot move it and he said ‘that’s fine’ he will take care of it,” Absalom said adding that they proceeded to “switch round the plates” on the vehicles.

He went on to tell police: “X pull down the door strip and brek into the car with a hanger. I ain’t sure what he do but he get in and start it.”

Absalom said he then drove X’s car and asked him what were his plans for the stolen car but he was told, “don’t worry about that”. He also asked X when he was going to get paid and was told, “don’t hurt your head money gone soon come”.

About a week later he received $4,500 from X and he went partying with the money.

Following the facts a police officer told Justice Randall Worrell that Absalom had 14 previous convictions among them theft, possession and cultivation of cannabis, theft of motorcars, theft of a motorcycle and money.

However, the convicted man told the No. 2 Supreme Court judge that the “money convictions” were not his as he is known for the wounding and theft of cars.

“My cousin has the same name as me and he is the fraud man,” Absalom said. Officers in the records department now have to investigate his claims.

Absalom, who is currently serving a sentence at HMP Dodds will return before Justice Worrell on July 5 when the facts of the other two cases which he pleaded to will be outlined. The charges are that between April 24 and 25, 2016 he stole a motorcar worth $10,000 belonging to Hyacinth Louis and that between February 20 and 21 he stole a $12,000 motorcar belonging to Merlene Clarke – both from St James.