Lethem cattle thieves charged for raiding ranch

By Paula Gomes

Twenty-year-old Qweson Frank, implicated in a raid on a ranch in the Rupununi from which cattle had been stolen, allegedly confessed to the crime and took the ranch owner to the area where the stolen cattle were being held.
Frank also allegedly named his accomplices while admitting that they had slaughtered one of the four appropriated heifers.
Frank was on Tuesday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan alongside alleged accomplices Curtis Charles and Ivor Rodrigues, all jointly charged with simple larceny. The charge they face allege that between August 21 and August 22, 2017, at Lethem in Central Rupununi, Region 9, they stole four head of heifers, cumulatively valued at $480,000, property of virtual complainant (VC) Walter Martin.
Charles and Rodrigues, represented by Attorney-at-Law Tiffany Jeffrey, both entered not guilty pleas; and Frank, unrepresented in court, also pleaded not guilty, even though the Police have said he had earlier confessed to his involvement in the crime.
In a submission for her clients to be placed on bail in a reasonable sum, Jeffery told the court that Charles is eighteen years old and Rodrigues is a twenty-eight-year-old father of two, both of whom are residents of Tabatinga in Lethem. According to Jeffery, Charles had previously been arraigned for a matter of a similar nature, but was never convicted; but Rodrigues was convicted for a similar offence, and was jailed for twenty months.
According to Police reports, three of the four alleged missing head of cattle were recovered.
The prosecutor objected to the defendants being placed on bail, contending that they pose real flight risks. He disclosed that on August 21, 2017, at approximately 14:00hrs, the VC secured his ranch with thirteen (13) head of cattle, but upon checking the following day, he discovered four head missing. Shortly after, he received information from a source, leading him to make contact with Frank, who subsequently cracked under questioning and admitted to his participation in the incident, while incriminating the others in the process.
Following that exchange, the matter was reported to the Lethem Police, thus the men were arrested and charged with the present offence.
The Chief Magistrate placed each defendant on $60,000 bail, and transferred the case before the Lethem Magistrate for September 5, 2017.
Conditions of the bail stipulate that the men are to report to the Lethem Police Station once a week pending the outcome of trial.