A park ranger has been ordered to pay a fine and given a suspended prison sentence for stealing site maintenance equipment, including a weed trimmer, from the Layou Petroglyph Park.
Augustus Alexander, 44, of Layou, pleaded guilty to the theft charge when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Tammika McKenzie at the Kingstown Magistrate Court recently.
He was charged that between Dec. 29 and 30, 2025, he entered the Layou Petroglyphs Park as a trespasser and stole one orange and white Stihl trimmer, valued at EC$2,680; one pick, valued at EC$69; one red gas jug, valued at EC$70; one bottle of Stihl oil, valued at EC$221; and, one roll of nylon, valued at EC$50, a total value of EC$3,235 the property of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The facts are that Alexander is a park ranger who supervises tourism sites on the Leeward side of the island.
On Dec. 28, 2025, about 1:30 p.m., the site attendant at the Layou Petroglyphs, Anica Hackshaw, secured the building and left for the day.
The next day at about 9:15 a.m., she returned to the site and observed that the building had been ransacked.
She then informed Park Ranger Shemron Williams, who contacted the police.
PC 1054 Keil and Williams visited the scene and the items were observed to be missing.
On May 15, acting on information, Kiel executed a search warrant at Alexander’s home, where he found an orange-and-red trimmer, a five-litre gas jug, one bottle of Stihl oil, and one roll of nylon.
Alexander was taken to Layou Police Station, where he was informed of the burglary report, cautioned, and interviewed in the presence of Justice of the Peace Carlton Browne.
Alexander volunteered a written statement and was arrested and charged with the offence.
McKenzie sentenced Alexander to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
She also fined him EC$450 to be paid forthwith or serve six months in prison.
The magistrate also ordered that the recovered items be returned to the site.