By Zaya Williams
A 26-year-old man will be serving a one-month prison sentence for threatening to shoot up his
family’s house.
Leandre Hodge was recently thrown out of his grandmother’s home but returned to the house on
June 20.
He went there and apparently called out to his mother from outside but entered the premises when
no one answered.
Upon noticing that he was inside the yard, his aunt-the complainant- informed her mother and in no
time the defendant began cursing, growing more and more aggressive.
It is said that he appeared as through he wanted to fight his relatives.
The women of the house asked him to leave but he began throwing objects at the house and at the
complainant’s car while threatening to shoot up the house.
The police were contacted and while Hodge was being arrested, he was heard saying “just wait until
me come out you go see what me do you.”
Hodge’s lawyer Arthur Thomas, told the court that his client had anger issues which he needed
professional assistance to address.
But despite the attorney’s attempt to mitigate his client’s sentence, the man was imprisoned for his
rude behavior which was evident in court when he referred to his aunt as “that lady.”
The Chief Magistrate sent him up to 1735 to give him time to calm down.
She also ordered that he get the necessary help and that an updated be provided in order to
determine whether or not he can be released.
Sending him to prison is going to help him? Does the jail have a good rehabilitation program set up to help this young man in getting rid of the demons he is fighting with? I think our prison system is destroying the young men sent there, as we would say to cool off and check their behaviour. A lot of these young men are using abuse substances along with alcohol. We need a rehab centre to help these young me; else, they will be coming out of prison worse than they went in. Check the streets every day in St Johns, and you will see a lot of homeless young men. It not only drugs abuse causing them to be on the street. Most of them have been in prison for petty crimes or for behaviour checks.