Alleged purse thief gets bail extension

ASt Ann man accused of stealing a woman’s purse during a church meeting had his bail extended until February 19 next year, as his case-file was incomplete when he appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Welder, Desburn Cole, 44, of Philadelphia, who also resides in Montego Bay, is charged with simple larceny, committed against Novelette Malcolm, who was not present in court for Wednesday’s proceedings.

The allegations are that on July 1, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Malcolm placed her purse on a bench inside a church, where she was attending a meeting. Cole reportedly came inside the building, grabbed the bag and ran off.

The next day, acting on information received, Malcolm went to the Savanna-la-Mar Police Station, in Westmoreland, and made a report. Following investigations, Cole was taken into custody and was later arrested and charged.

“Is the file ready, Madam Clerk?” presiding magistrate Carolyn Tie asked clerk of the court Natalie Malcolm.

“The file is nowhere near complete,” Malcolm replied. “The investigating officer seems to have been missing in action.”

Interestingly, the investigating officer was present in court at the time Malcolm made her remarks.

“The officer is going to need a lot of time to get what he needs (to complete the file),” Malcolm told the court.

Tie subsequently set the case for mention on February 19, 2014.