Jerry Nicholas, a self employed landscaper, is accusing a police officer, from the Ladyville police station of taking his weedwhacker, without reason. He told us today that Minister Michael Hutchinson bought the weedwhacker for him and last Friday when police raided his home, they took it after not finding anything.
When he went to check on his machine Monday morning, the police officer told him to come back in the afternoon, and when he did, that same police officer locked him up overnight. He told us he's frustrated and out of work:.....
Jerry Nicholas
"I feel like the police the take advantage. I don't feel like it's fair what the police do to me because I already explained that the minister bought it for me. So the minister word isn't good enough for him to give me back my machine? From last week Friday to today, that's one week - one week I'm not making any money. That's unfair."
Emaun Hyde
"Why would the police do this? Do you think there are any reasons for why he would take your machine and be so unreasonable about it?"
Jerry Nicholas
"I don't know mommy, I feel like the man have something personal against me. Just so it makes me feel. Police have to understand that when ghetto youths come out here trying to start a legit business, they can't come out here and try to harass us. If we have a legit business, they have to allow us. Just like last time, before I start be self employed, I had a good job and police came look for me with big guns. When I reached station, they came to look for me because they hear something. When I went back to my job site, my boss paid me off and let me go. He said he can't handle that. They came for me for nothing off of my job site with big gun. They have to start low ghetto youths and give them a try, you can't go to their jobs with big gun, and they will make people get fired. That's unfair."
And while that's his story - Ladyville police have a very different version; they say the weed whacker was stolen in the burglary of a warehouse and someone else has presented all the relevant documents for it. They say Nicholas has a good chance of being charged with burglary and handling.....
