A 53-year-old local vendor has secured his release on bail following a court appearance this week, after being charged with making explicit verbal threats against another individual last Thursday. Wendell O’Brien Holder, a resident of Kensington New Road in the parish of St Michael, stood before acting Magistrate Shakieda Sealy to answer to the criminal charge brought against him. The charge alleges that Holder used threatening language toward complainant Renee Forde, uttering the explicit phrase: “I gine stick this knife up you ****” with the specific intention of making Forde believe immediate unlawful violence would be inflicted against him. Holder has formally entered a not guilty plea to the allegation. Following the initial hearing, Magistrate Sealy granted Holder release on $3 000 bail, attached to a strict conditional order: the accused is required to maintain a distance of no less than 100 meters from Forde for the duration of the court proceedings. The case has been scheduled to resume for further hearing at the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on January 14, as the legal process moves forward toward a full resolution of the allegation.