29-year-old Anderson Shaquille O’Neal James of Marigot has been given another chance to right the wrong by Magistrate Michael Laudat who he begged for a break and not to send him to jail after he pleaded guilty to the theft of a Nikon camera at the Marigot Credit Union.
James pleaded guilty to the charge that on January 16, 2024, he entered through the ceiling of the Credit Union and after ransacking the place went to the cashier’s area and stole a black Nikon camera valued at $440.00.
A report was made to the police who acting on the information went to the home of James and told him of the report that they were investigating in response he replied, “Why me…I don’t know anything about that.”
However, after he was taken into custody and the police doing a question-and-answer interview with him, he admitted to entering the Credit Union and stealing the Nikon camera and on January 19, 2024, took the police to his home and handed them the camera.
“I stole the camera and I apologize for my actions,” he told the court. He was then told that the offense of theft carries a maximum of 7 years in jail.
“I understand the severity of my actions, what I did was wrong and I have no explanations for that. I don’t want to go to jail, I did something wrong, I was selfish in my actions, I just don’t want to go to jail,” he pleaded with the court.
James is not a first-time offender and told the court that he wished there was a way besides going to jail to fix his actions. His dad who was present in court was asked to speak on his behalf and told the court, “He is not learning, I am tired of talking to him he just came from jail in November 2023.”
After hearing his passionate plea for a non-custodial sentence, Magistrate Michael Laudat stated, “You asked me not to send you to jail…I am going to give you a chance.”
“You are a young man, you are sentenced to 3 years in jail suspended for 3 years from today’s date until January 22, 2027, this means you are not to offend for three years if you fail that test then you will be atomically be sent to jail for three years, go and walk the straight and narrow road and become a productive citizen of the country,” the Magistrate told him.
He was also charged with burglary, but after his guilty plea for the charge of theft, the prosecution withdrew that charge offering no further evidence against him.
