Thirty one year old Jermaine Belgrave, charged with robbery and aggravated assault, was freed of the charges today when they were dismissed by court magistrate Aretha Ford. Magistrate Ford dismissed the charges because there were discrepancies in the identification evidence. Belgrave's attorney, Dickie Bradley submitted that the complaint, Security Oriented Service supervisor Derrick Muslar, did not properly identify Belgrave and the identification parade was bogus because Muslar was told who to pick out in the parade.
The incident occurred on June 19, 2009 at the junction of Mahogany Street and Sarstoon Street. Muslar testified that he was driving a motorcycle heading for Youth For the Future Drive when he was accosted by two persons, one of them armed with a black pistol. Muslar said the gunman put the pistol to his neck then pulled a mask over his face while the other man robbed him of a pump action shotgun and a pistol. Muslar said he fired shots at the men as they rode off on bicycles and one of them fell. Muslar said the men took cover behind a vehicle and returned fire. Belgrave testified and said that Muslar took him for someone else because he was at Bekkka's Yard when the incident occurred. Belgrave was shot in his left leg but he testified that he was shot by two persons while he was at the yard. Another man, Elmore Neal, was charged jointly with Belgrave but he was not put on trial because he is deceased.
