Community service for gun possession

PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance handled a number of minor cases on Wednesday morning. Leendert Cornelis Derk Smaal ended up with a 3-month conditional prison sentence, 2 years of probation and 240 hours of community service. Marines caught him on September 22 in the possession of a handgun and an air gun.

The marines found the weapons accidentally after Smaal, 51, had gotten into a fight with  a roommate in Simpson Bay. They found the firearm in the house and the air gun in the glove compartment of his car.

The defendant said that he had the weapons because he felt unsafe after Hurricane Irma. Due to the damages the storm had inflicted on his house, he was unable to lock it up.

Raymond Gonzalez-Medina, 24, stole three car mirrors. For that, the court sentenced him to a 6-week prison sentence.