"It is true that we find vehicles parked on the side of the road which certainly suffered the wrath of Irma, and whose owners, lacking insurance or means, are waiting to carry out repairs. But as long as these vehicles are not declared wreckage, they belong to someone. You can't stop on the road and take coins from it, ”said the Deputy Prosecutor in the opening of his closing statement.
Thursday, February 14, two defendants were summoned to the criminal court of Saint Martin for having taken, on November 24, two mirrors on a vehicle parked for several months on the side of the road in Oyster Pond.
Only DA, 36, appeared at the bar. As he already explained to the gendarmes, he only led JL, 54, at his request. During their flagrant arrest on the evening of the facts, DA spontaneously opens the trunk of his car to show the stolen mirrors. "I am aware that the mirrors were in my car but I am not a thief," he reaffirmed at the hearing. He adds that he is not a mechanic and that he waited for JL in his car.
However, at the feet of JL, the gendarmes found the screwdriver which was used to dismantle the parts in question. The two individuals were placed in police custody and JL justified himself by saying that he did not think of committing theft since the car was, according to him, a wreck. Besides, it was open. The owner will explain that he no longer has the keys to his broken down vehicle, which has been parked there for five months due to a radiator problem.
If DA's criminal record contains only one mention relating to receiving stolen goods after Irma, JL's criminal record is spread over three pages and lists several convictions for theft, concealment and concealed work in particular.
While the prosecution had demanded a 150 euro fine against DA for complicity in theft, the court decided to acquit him. However, he followed the public prosecutor's requisitions for JL and sentenced him to three months in prison.
Next week, the court will examine the case of a Sint Maarten national who stole parts from wrecked cars in the French part, to resell them in the Dutch part. He has admitted more than twenty thefts. The investigation revealed that he had a network of three hundred contacts on WhatsApp.
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