Guilty! Three years and seven months after they were caught on a security camera shaking down a Chinese grocer, four law enforcement officers were found guilty of stealing $100 from a Chinese grocer.
Police Constable Vladimir Ortega, and Special Constables Jesus Dominguez, Filomena Badillo and Cornelio Andueza appeared before Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord this morning where they were found not guilty of robbery, but guilty of the lesser charge of theft of $100 from grocer Percy Chow. They were ordered to each pay a $500 fine by the end of November or in default serve 6 months in jail.
While the Constables' Attorney Simeon Sampson argued that they were conducting a genuine search, evidence was produced to show that all four men had been drinking from 4:00 to 6:00 pm that day which clearly influenced their lawless actions.
The guilty verdict was arrived at without testimony from Constable Lincoln Kellyman, who lived in the area and stopped the crime in progress. Kellyman was killed in a traffic accident in April of 2003.
