ST. THOMAS — A young man was handed a six-month prison sentence Tuesday for his role in an armed robbery at Raad Grocery in Savan three years ago.<\/p>\n
Tyrone Halliday, 20, who faced nine counts in relation to the June 1, 2013 incident, accepted a plea agreement proffered by Attorney General Claude Earl Walker and pleaded guilty to grand larceny.<\/p>\n
Almost a year later, on Jan. 17, 2014, Halliday was again arrested and charged with several crimes stemming from a robbery at Barbel Plaza. A schoolboy identified Halliday as the person who stripped him of his jewelry and his mobile phone.<\/p>\n
In exchange for the guilty plea, AG Walker recommended that the January 2014 case be dismissed and that Halliday be sentenced to a term of eight years\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Assistant Attorney General Eugene James Connor, Jr., urged V.I. Superior Court Judge James Carroll III to uphold the terms of the plea bargain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis plea was for two cases,\u201d Connor said. \u201cBoth were violent crimes that\u2019s why we\u2019re recommending eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public defender, Melanie Turnbull, vehemently opposed the prosecution\u2019s recommendation of eight years\u2019 incarceration and proposed that her client receives 3711C treatment as he has been rehabilitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat 3711C does is set the reset button on his life. He was 18 years old. To send him to BOC would undo everything he\u2019s done for the past two years,\u201d Turnbull said.<\/p>\n
Title 5 V.I.C. 3711C provides, in part, for offenders who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to offenses that \u201cdid not result in the personal injury or death of any person and where no deadly weapon was used in perpetrating the crime, the court may\u2026defer further and place the defendant on probation upon such terms and conditions as it may require, provided, the accused has never been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in this jurisdiction or under the laws of the United States, any state or territory thereof, or foreign jurisdiction. Upon fulfillment of the terms of probation the defendant shall be discharged without court adjudication of guilt, and an order shall be entered expunging the finding\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
The court also heard the testimonies of three character witnesses who each described Halliday as \u201chelpful, hardworking, caring and honest\u201d and asked Judge Carroll to exercise leniency and mercy in his sentencing.<\/p>\n
Halliday also took the opportunity to address the court on his own behalf. \u201cI take this time to apologize from the core of my heart,\u201d he said. \u201cI am genuinely sorry for what took place. I messed up; I\u2019ve changed. As a man, I take full responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
In meting out his punishment of a bifurcated sentence, Judge Carroll characterized Halliday\u2019s actions as \u201ctotally reprehensible and totally gratuitous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn one hand, I want to give you leniency,\u201d Judge Carroll said, \u201cbut on the other hand, I have to look at the community. These gun crimes are out of control.\u201d He then sentenced Halliday to two year\u2019s imprisonment with all but six months suspended. Following his release from prison, Halliday will be placed on probation for two years. Judge Carroll also ordered him to pay $500 probation fee and $75 in court costs; to continue his education; and to write a letter of apology to Raad Bahnaj, the owner of Raad Grocery. Halliday\u2019s sentence also includes his completing 200 hours of community service, part of which will be spent lecturing young people about guns and the dangers of gun crimes.<\/p>\n
Following the sentencing, Halliday was immediately remanded into custody and escorted to the Bureau of Corrections.<\/p>\n
According to an affidavit filed by Det. Sofia Rachid, Bahnaj told police that at about 6:40 a.m., he was behind the cash register when two gun-toting black males wearing masks came into the grocery store. Bahnaj stated that one of the black males was short and the other was tall, and that he knew the tall black male as Halliday, whom he knew because he frequented the store and he lived in the area.<\/p>\n
At the time, another customer was inside the store and Halliday\u2019s accomplice began to beat the customer, while Halliday was on the other side of the cash register pointing a gun at Bahnaj, according to Rachid\u2019s affidavit. After the short masked male finished beating the customer, he went behind the counter and he and Halliday ordered Bahnaj to open the cash register, Rachid wrote. Bahnaj opened the cash register and the robbers took cash and Cingular phone cards, then left the store, according to Rachid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ST. THOMAS — A young man was handed a six-month prison sentence Tuesday for his role in an armed robbery at Raad Grocery in Savan three years ago. Tyrone Halliday, 20, who faced nine counts in relation to the June 1, 2013 incident, accepted a plea agreement proffered by Attorney General Claude Earl Walker and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4400,191,147],"tags":[4962,5684,5683],"yoast_head":"\n