A 31-year-old self-employed Barbadian woman is now being held at Dodds Prison after facing multiple weapons and drug charges in a Bridgetown district court this week. Marisa Kathey-Ann Jackson, a resident of 9 Rendezvous Ridge in Christ Church, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court No. 1 to answer to four separate offences, all alleged to have occurred on August 18.
The first charge accuses Jackson of being in possession of 40 rounds of ammunition without the required legal license, a offence that falls under the country’s strict firearms control regulations. Under local court procedure, defendants in such matters are not required to enter an initial plea during their first appearance, so no plea was formally recorded from Jackson during the hearing. Three additional drug-related charges are also laid against her: simple possession of cannabis, trafficking of the controlled substance, and possession of cannabis with the explicit intent to supply it to others.
Jackson, who is being represented by defense attorney Shakira Emtage, was remanded into custody by Acting Chief Magistrate Frederick, with her next scheduled court date set for September 18. This step was taken to allow law enforcement officials to complete their ongoing investigation into the allegations, and to prepare the case for trial proceedings moving forward.