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St. Maarten News – A man with a love for scooters received a punishment in the Court in First Instance that equals the time he spent in pretrial detention – 104 days. Rubeo Rubencio Brown claimed ignorance but the fact remains that the police found two brand new scooters and a blue generator in a room in his house after an anonymous tip. The scooters and the generators were stolen between September 19 and 21 of last year at the Yamaha store.

Brown denied his involvement. “I don’t know anything about this,” he said. I don’t know how that stuff got there. Friends come and go all the time.”

All the same, Brown’s DNA was found on the items and he admitted that he had driven one of the scooters. “I love all kinds of bikes,” he told the court.

Prosecutor Karola van Nie said that there is insufficient evidence to tie the defendant to the burglary, but she found him guilty of fencing.

Investigators found many other items in the room, stemming from several home burglaries – from an electric guitar to computers. “We are waiting for the DNA test results for these goods,” the prosecutor said, hinting that there could be more trouble in store for the scooter-loving defendant. She demanded 5 months of imprisonment.

Attorney Safira Ibrahim wondered why all this is her client’s responsibility. “There are other people living in that house too.”

Judge Winfield acquitted the defendant of the burglary and sentenced him for fencing the stolen goods to 104 days – the time he already spent in pretrial detention. Brown was sent home later yesterday.