It took more than a week but the man charged for committing the early afternoon hold up and robbery at Doony’s Store on Albert Street is behind bars tonight. The brazen armed robber has been identified as twenty three year old Lovely Lane resident Gion Bernard. This morning Bernard appeared before Chief Magistrate Margaret Gabb McKenzie and pleaded not guilty to the charge of robbery. This is despite the fact that through a photo gallery he was identified by the store manager as the young man who held her up at gun point.
At the time of the incident the robber was unmasked as he ordered Manisha Sadarangani to give him all the money, a total of $4,000. During the hold up, the store’s security guard Elton Jex also had a point thirty eight pointed at him as he was shuffled inside the building. Police caught him on Victoria Street two days later. When they searched him, they found a nine milimeter bullet in his pocket.
So when Bernard was brought to court for the ammunition charge they already knew that he was their prime suspect in the Doony’s hold-up and robbery. Bernard who also pled not guilty to the possession of a nine milimeter ammunition is on remand at the Hattieville Prison. And that is where he will be until September ninth when he is schedule to reappear in court for both criminal charges. Gion Bernard joins his older brother Leon Garcia at Hattieville. He is serving a five year sentence you guessed it for a robbery charge.
