Gladys Todman, of Baughers Bay, was granted bail of $15,000 with one signed surety after pleading guilty to one count of theft in Magistrates’ Court April 7.
Magistrate Khadeen Palmer read the complaint during the virtual hearing, adding that Ms. Todman was accused of stealing $2,625. Then Crown Counsel Lyn Daley read the allegations.
According to Ms. Daley, on March 25, the complainant left her Main Street day care centre and drove to Baughers Bay, where she parked near One Mart and exited her vehicle.
She left her week’s earnings — collected in four brown envelopes and placed inside a green-and-brown handbag with other items — inside the car, Ms. Daley stated.
The next day around 10 a.m., noticing that a light was on inside her car, the complainant checked inside and found that the cash inside the handbag was missing, according to the prosecutor.
She “did not notice anything else missing,” the Crown counsel read.
When the complainant brought the missing money to the attention of a One Mart supervisor, the supervisor told her that they did not know how to operate the CCTV camera, Ms. Daley alleged.
The complainant then went to the Road Town Police Station and made a report, the prosecutor read.
Police photographed the complainant’s car the same day, according to Ms. Daley.
Later, a police officer obtained a disk with footage from the store showing an individual with short black pants, a black hoodie, and a lowcut hairstyle entering the car, turning on the roof light and removing the handbag, the prosecutor said.
On April 5, police officers met the accused at the Road Town Police Station, informed her of the report against her, and cautioned her, Ms. Daley alleged. According to the prosecutor, Ms. Todman told the police, ‘“So long ago that happened; like two weeks ago.’”
Ms. Todman was arrested and served a copy of her prisoners’ rights, and consented to a cautioned interview, the Crown counsel added.
During that interview, she admitted to the allegations against her, saying that in the early morning she went to the vehicle, removed the cash and left the scene, the prosecutor read.
Ms. Daley added that Ms. Todman allegedly told the officers that she spent the money on sneakers and food and gave some of it to her friends.
“There is nothing [else] known of the accused, and these are the facts as they relate to the matter,” Ms. Daley read.
Responding to questions from Ms. Palmer, Ms. Todman, who was not represented by an attorney, told the court that she lives in Baughers Bay with her husband, and that she takes medications for diabetes and mental health issues, among other medical needs.
She also said she receives financial support from social services and visits the doctor every month.
Ms. Daley did not object to a bail offer but requested a reporting date.
The magistrate offered Ms. Todman bail of $15,000 with one signed surety and the condition that she report to the Road Town Police Station every Friday between 6 a.m. and noon, before adjourning the court for a May 2 sentencing.