A 20-year-old Ottley Hall resident has received a $3,000 fine after pleading guilty to illegal ammunition possession, with a senior magistrate reminding the young man of his responsibility to act lawfully when encountering unregulated dangerous items.
Orlando McDonald Jr. appeared before the Serious Offences Court on Tuesday, where he admitted to holding four live .45 caliber rounds without a valid license granted under the territory’s Firearms Act. Chief Magistrate Colin John opened the hearing by reprimanding McDonald, noting that as an adult, he should have understood the risks of keeping ammunition he claimed to have discovered on a public road rather than turning it over to law enforcement.
Court documents outline the chain of events that led to the discovery of the ammunition. On September 15 at approximately 9:30 a.m., investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) intercepted a Toyota Vitz near Randy’s Supermarket on Lower Bay Street, acting on anonymous reports that masked men were travelling in the vehicle. McDonald was behind the wheel of the car at the time of the stop.
An initial search of the vehicle and all occupants turned up no illegal items, so officers moved all individuals present to the CID station for further processing. A subsequent search warrant was granted to search the residences of everyone detained, with PC 105 Castello leading the search team alongside CID and Rapid Response Unit officers.
While no prohibited materials were found at the driver’s home, Castello discovered a small wooden box holding the four .45 rounds on top of a dressing table in McDonald’s bedroom. When questioned by police after the discovery, McDonald told officers he had found the ammunition on the roadside roughly a week prior to the stop. He later provided a voluntary written statement to investigators at CID headquarters, with a Justice of the Peace present to witness the statement.
Ballistic and background checks confirmed the four rounds were fully operational, and official records showed McDonald holds no license to possess firearms or ammunition, nor is he a registered dealer.
Appearing on McDonald’s behalf as a friend of the court, defense attorney Sean Marshall argued that the young man was a strong candidate for rehabilitation. Marshall told the court McDonald has expressed deep remorse for his decision to keep the ammunition instead of surrendering it to police.
Prosecutor Shamrack Pierre supported issuing a non-custodial sentence for the offense, a position Chief Magistrate John echoed. John ultimately ordered that the $3,000 fine be paid within three months, adding that failure to meet the payment deadline will result in a six-month prison sentence for McDonald.