31 year-old Kirk Castillo, a resident of 6th Street, Kings Park, dodged a stiff sentence in Magistrate's Court today when he pleaded guilty to stealing 3 dollars and 85 cents' worth of food items from Williams Supermarket, which is located down his street. According to the owner of the supermarket on Saturday around 8:40 a.m., 2 of his employees warned him that a man, matching Castillo's description, pocketed a pack of Happy Cow cheese, and 4 shilling packs of baking powder.
The owner allowed Castillo to approach the cash register to see if he would pay for the items, but Castillo completely pretended like he didn't have those items in his pocket. Instead, he paid for other items in his basket.
When he attempted to leave the store, one of the employees stopped him, and searched him, where the pack of cheese was discovered. Castillo attempted to flee but he was intercepted by another customer.
Police arrested and charged him with theft. He pleaded guilty to the offense, and he told Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer that he has been out of work in construction, and everyone he has approached has given him excuses instead of a job.
He said that he had his family to feed, and all he wanted to do was give them a decent breakfast, but he didn't have enough money to pay for everything.
Because it was his first offense, Senior Magistrate Frazer sentenced him to pay a fine of $305 in 1 month, or he will be spend 3 months in prison.
