Mother of accused man warned about being his surety

A St James Parish Court judge on Monday warned a mother of an accused man that she will likely go to prison if she becomes a surety for him and he then fails to honour his bail obligations.

Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce gave the warning while speaking to the mother of Aldine Reynolds, who is charged along with Donald Mitchell for unlawful possession of ammunition. During court proceedings, it was disclosed that Reynolds is still in custody because he has been unable to take up his bail of $250,000, despite the amount having previously been reduced from $500,000. It was also disclosed that Reynolds' mother wanted to be named as a surety for her son, as she has tried unsuccessfully to find other potential sureties.

"If your son runs off, you are going to prison. Are you good with that? If your son doesn't come to court one day, or if he doesn't go to the police station and report one day, you are going to get locked up. Are you cool with that?" Grant-Pryce asked Reynolds' mother.

"Yes, Ma'am," the mother replied confidently.

"If you have to put on the handcuff on you and him, you have to do that, because you are going to be locked up for him, and I see it happen all the time," Grant-Pryce told the mother, while officially accepting her as a surety for Reynolds. Meanwhile, the court was told that the case file is now complete and the matter can go to trial. Grant-Pryce subsequently set April 2 as the trial date and remanded Reynolds until such time as he should take up his bail. Mitchell's bail was extended.

Allegations are that on June 6, 2024, at 10 p.m., Reynolds and Mitchell drove a white Nissan motor car onto the grounds of the Montego Bay Police Station. One of the men alighted from the car and threw a brown bag toward the facility's perimeter wall. The police came on the scene and searched the vehicle, and two bullets were reportedly found under one of the car seats. Both men were subsequently arrested and charged.