A 29-year-old Leopold Street resident was on Monday charged and remanded to prison by City Magistrate Judy Latchman for breaking into a woman’s car and carting off almost $320,000 in cash and other items.

Albert DeFreitas, Jr is charged for the offence which alleged that on January 31 at Parade Street, Georgetown, he stole a handbag, cellphone, laptop and other items, property of Shelly Haynes. He denied the charge.

According to the facts presented in court by Police Prosecutor Arwin Moore, on the day in question, Haynes parked her motor car along Parade Street and went into a nearby school. Upon her return she discovered that the right side door of her vehicle was tampered with and her items missing.

The matter was reported to the police station and investigators, upon reviewing nearby CCTV footage, saw images of the accused breaking into Haynes’ car and removing the articles.

Moore further pointed out that the accused, when arrested by the police, handed over the stolen laptop and cellphone. The magistrate remanded DeFreitas to prison until February 26.

Last December, DeFreitas was charged for a similar offence after he allegedly broke into a car at the Kingston Seawalls. He is currently on trial before Magistrate Annett Singh for that offence.