Brent Peter from Pointe Michel is now an inmate at the Dominica State Prisons for the next 34 months for stealing a DL4 cell phone from the home of Celine Bruney.
Peter who has a three-page conviction sheet pleaded guilty to the charge of theft of the cell phone and a DS Card all to the total value of $409.00.
According to the facts as presented in court, the complainant who resides with her mom and children secured her home on the evening of April 24, 2024, and went to bed. While in bed at about 11:15 pm her son was awakened by a noise and saw Peter in the house with a black-handled knife searching.
He also entered one of the bedrooms, her son then put on the light on his phone and identified him, and he then left the house. He then immediately reported the matter to his mother. The following date April 25, 2025, at about 6 am, she went looking for her phone and realized that it was missing, a report was then made to the Pointe Michel Police Station.
The police responded and based on the information went in search of Brent Peter and found him at his mother’s home. When told about the report he denied it saying, “All you can search my home, I don’t know nothing about that.”
The police also found a black-handled knife next to him which they seized, he was arrested on suspicion and taken to the Pointe Michel Police Station where he was further questioned in the presence of the son who identified him as the person he saw in the house. After the confrontation, he was taken to Police Headquarters, searched and a DS card was found in his pocket, questioned about it, he stated he found it on the streets.
The police also seized the card and then placed him in Police Cells. Later that day the Pointe Michel Police received a call from their counterparts in Roseau about Brent Peter and went to visit him. On arrival, he admitted to entering the house and stealing the phone and told them where he had it hidden. He was then taken to his home in Pointe Michel where they retrieved the phone where it was hidden and handed it to the police.
In court, he stated, “I was a little hungry, it was past 11 pm and the chicken and chips place was closed so I went in the house to look for a $20.00, I saw two phones, a big and a small one. I didn’t go to steal it, if that was the case, I would have taken the bigger and more expensive phone but I took the cheaper phone.”
“I am sorry for stealing in all you’ll country…I am trying my best,” he said. But the Magistrate responded saying to him, “No you are not trying your best…Brent, you are not learning, I will send you where you can get food.”
In looking at his conviction sheet, the Magistrate stated that he (Brent) had appeared before him several times and was given many opportunities, but he had not taken advantage of those chances.
“You must leave people’s property alone, you are sentenced to 34 months in jail,” the Magistrate stated. The maximum penalty is 7 years in jail. The phone was found to be in working order and returned to its owner.
