Teenager pleads guilty to armed robbery on Water Street

KEVIN Charles, a 19-year-old homeless man, appeared before Chief Magistrate (ag) Faith Mc Gusty at the Georgetown Magistrates Court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of armed robbery. The court heard that on November 30, 2024, Charles and an accomplice committed a robbery on Water Street in Georgetown.

During the robbery, Charles and his accomplice stole a Samsung phone worth $45,000 and a black wallet containing $10,000 in cash. The total value of the stolen items amounted to 57,000 dollars. In his guilty plea, Charles admitted that he was intoxicated at the time of the crime.

Charles initially claimed to have acted alone but later identified Dominique Eastman, a resident of ‘B’ Field, Sophia, Georgetown, as an accomplice. Charles revealed that he used a knife during the robbery, physically grabbing the victim’s T-shirt while Eastman took the wallet.

Although the stolen items were returned to the victim, Charles admitted that the $10,000 in cash had already been spent. However, he disputed the victim’s claim, stating that the wallet only contained $6,000.
Charles shared with the court that he has been living on the streets since the age of 14 due to a lack of family support. He revealed that his mother struggles with alcoholism and his father is bedridden, further explaining his circumstances.

Given the seriousness of the offense and his lack of a fixed address, Magistrate Mc Gusty remanded Charles in prison until January 3, 2025, for sentencing. A probation report was ordered to help determine an appropriate sentence for the youth.

This isn’t Charles’ first brush with the law. In February 2024, he and Eastman were charged with another robbery on Water Street. In that case, the victim was stripped of an iPhone 12 valued at $120,000 and $20,000 in cash. Both Charles and Eastman denied the allegations during their initial court appearances. At the time, the prosecutor opposed bail, citing Charles’ transient lifestyle as a risk. Despite being remanded in custody, both men were later granted bail.