By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 20-year-old Belize City resident, identified as the son of a police officer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday after taking responsibility for an unlicensed firearm discovered in a baby bag inside a pickup truck carrying a group of 11 people.
Joelle Grinage, an unemployed resident of Belize City, pleaded guilty to one count of keeping an unlicensed firearm when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Mannon Dennison in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court.
Grinage was among a group of 11 persons—eight men and three women—who were detained and later charged after police discovered a silver and olive 9mm pistol inside a pink baby bag in a red Dodge Ram pickup at Mile 6 on the George Price Highway on Monday evening.
The others charged alongside him were Shadrick Galvez, 24; Steven Norman Bradley, 22; Kenney Joseph, 19; Rebecca Mangar, 22; Jaheem Chun, 22; Sama Harvey, 25; Julian Jefferies, 29; Anesha Sutherland, 22; Wilfred Jeffries, 24, a police officer; and Jaylen Galvez, 26.
According to police, officers acting on information intercepted the pickup around 6:00 p.m. after spotting it with punctured rear tires along the highway. Officers searched the occupants but found nothing illegal on their persons. However, during a search of the vehicle, police discovered the pistol inside the baby bag on the front seat.
When asked about the bag, Grinage claimed ownership and accepted responsibility for the firearm. The others maintained their innocence.
During mitigation, Grinage’s attorney, Audrey Grinage, asked the court to impose a non-custodial sentence, noting that her client was a first-time offender and that the firearm had not been used in the commission of any crime. His parents also addressed the court, with his father, a police officer, pleading for mercy and telling the court his son had been raised with discipline and had even attempted to join the Belize Defence Force but was rejected for medical reasons.
However, Senior Magistrate Dennison said a non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message given the country’s ongoing struggle with gun violence. He noted that unlawful possession of firearms remains a serious offense in Belize and that deterrence must be reflected in sentencing.
The court set a starting point of four years but deducted 16 months for Grinage’s early guilty plea and an additional 14 months for mitigating factors including his clean record, good character references, and expressions of remorse.
Grinage was ultimately sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
Following his guilty plea, the charge was withdrawn against the remaining 10 defendants, including the police officer and the two girlfriends in the group.
Police say the vehicle was being driven by Julian Jefferies at the time of the incident, while the pickup’s registered owner—identified as the father of one of the occupants—has not yet been detained or charged.
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By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 20-year-old Belize City resident, identified as the son of a police officer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday after taking responsibility for an unlicensed firearm discovered in a baby bag inside a pickup truck carrying a group of 11 people. Joelle Grinage, an unemployed resident of
The post 11 people charged for 1 gun found in baby bag but cop’s son claims responsibility; sentenced to year-and-a-half in jail appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
