Ital Vendor caught red-handed (+Video)

An Ital seller who stole two pairs of shoes from a clothing store was not only picked up by the store’s cameras but also met by the police while wearing one of the stolen pairs.

Ronald “John Small” Isaacs, a 39-year-old resident of Green Hill was brought before the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on May 25 for theft of the shoes, valued at $200 each.

Isaacs had been picked up on the security cameras of Ziad Trading, on Thursday May 21 twice.

The first time, at around 10:30am, he was seen opening various shoe boxes in the store before taking out a pair of shoes. He then placed the shoes into a bag that he was carrying. He repeated a similar act when he returned to the store at around 2pm on the same day.

https://youtu.be/i4kWcxBDOVo

The thefts were noticed by Bassam Gergos, the complainant, when he was checking the security cameras the following day, May 22. When the police officer who responded to the report was shown the footage, he recognized “John Small”.

When the police went to pick up Isaacs, he was wearing one of the pairs of shoes, and upon questioning at a later time, he admitted it was one of the stolen pairs and said he was sorry.

The defendant again told Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett that he was sorry, and that he would repay the money. He admitted to the magistrate that he sold the other pair for $100.

Further questioning revealed that Isaacs runs an Ital shop in Little Tokyo, and that many people normally buy and support him well.

“I lose focus,” Isaacs stated.

The magistrate told Isaacs that he went into the store twice in one day. “A businessman that’s what you are…stole from another businessman,” Burnett stated.

Isaacs, who is a father, explained to the magistrate that his mother in Cuba for medical attention, and he has the responsibility in the household.

However, the judge told the 39 year old that he was a grown man.

Burnett also told the defendant that the store owner has bills and rent to pay, and the reason why he installed cameras was to catch persons like him(Isaacs).

The magistrate said that he doesn’t like that type of behaviour “at all, at all, at all,” and told Isaacs that his conduct was “unnecessary.”

In mitigation, the defendant attempted to say that he cooperated with the police and didn’t lie or beat around the bush, as well as when he got to court.

However, the magistrate told him that the camera picked him up twice, and there was evidence that could have convicted him.
Burnett asked the store owner what kind of recompense he wanted, and he answered “just the money back I don’t want anything else.”

When asked when he would like to be compensated by, the owner said that he wasn’t in a hurry.

Isaacs was asking whether he could have until the end of the month to pay, but the magistrate told him that he wanted him to pay it on the same day.

Before sentencing Isaacs, Burnett warned him to stop and make the incident his first and last.

However, he allowed Isaacs to pay compensation in the amount of EC$400, to be paid by June 30, or he would spend three months in prison.