A 25-year-old former prison officer was convicted in two matters yesterday in the Magistrate’s Court and ordered to pay almost $3,000 in fines.

Sunset Park resident Demetrius Maycock lost his job as a Bahamas Department of Corrections officer as a result of being found in possession of two ounces of Indian Hemp, an unlicensed shotgun and 13 live rounds of ammunition, according to court documents.

Appearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes, Maycock pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of dangerous drugs and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm and one count of possession of ammunition, before his punishment was levied before him.

It is alleged that on Friday July 14, around 1 p.m., officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) executed a search warrant at Maycock’s home on Vanrea Avenue where they knocked on the door and identified themselves.

It is further alleged that Maycock was seen in the home with a clear plastic bag and went to the bathroom where he was found by officers flushing what appeared to be marijuana down the toilet.

Officers, after breaching the doors of the home, according to the police reports, presented Maycock with a search warrant and carried out a search of his bedroom where they discovered a safe with a shotgun and another ‘bag of loose small quantity of suspected marijuana,’ according to the prosecutor.

The officers then conducted a search of Maycock’s car where another small amount of marijuana was found.

Police reports also indicated that upon examination of the shotgun, found it to be licensed up to 2015.

Appearing for Maycock, attorney Jomo Campbell, advocated for his client not to receive a custodial sentence giving several reasons as to why he should not be incarcerated.

Mr. Campbell noted that Maycock had no priors and no pending matters before the courts and unlike other incidents of prison officers in the last two months, did not intend to supply as the drugs were not found on him while on duty, but rather on his day off and at home.

Mr. Campbell further indicated that according to his client, the marijuana had been in his home for almost two and a half years and that although Maycock had a habit he had stopped his use of the illegal substance.

Mr. Campbell also pointed out and accepted the fact on behalf of  his client that Maycock “fell down in keeping it [shotgun] licensed or current” and that the gun was “locked in a safe along with ammunition and not in harm’s way or posing threat, nothing to indicate that he was out to use it for crime.”

He further added that his client was remorseful and did not waste the police officers time, or the court’s time and humbly owned up to the possession the very same day.

Mr. Campbell concluded by noting that Maycock wished to apologize to his family, friends and the Bahamian public at large for his actions as a his duty of a prison officer.

Magistrate Forbes acknowledge Mr. Campbell pleas on behalf of his client and subsequently convicted Maycock on two counts of possession of dangerous drugs and ordered him to pay a fine of $300 for each count or six months in prison.

Maycock was also convicted on one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm and one count of possession of ammunition and ordered him to pay a fine of $1,000 for each count or one year in prison.

Magistrate Forbes further ordered confiscation of the drugs and for it to be destroyed and confiscation of the shotgun.

The estimated street value of the marijuana was $140.