Investigator objects to return of devices to alleged fake health inspectors
Trio to face court again on Feb 5
Published:Tuesday | January 30, 2024 | 12:10 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
Three men charged with impersonating public health officers during the reopening of Crab Circle in Kingston last November had their bail extended for them to return to the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on February 5.
Content creators Orain Harris, 23; Ayden Smart, 23; and 32-year-old businessman Kazrae Gray made their first appearance on Monday for breaches of the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act and conspiracy at common law to breach the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act.
When asked by Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montague to indicate his clients’ answer to the charges, attorney-at-law Donovan Collins told the judge that he wants disclosure before stating their position.
Responding to his request, the clerk of court advised that disclosure could be made outside of court on February 2.
Collins also made an application for the return of the accused’s devices.
However, the investigating officer objected on the basis that the devices were the subject of continuous investigation.
During the ceremony for the reopening of Crab Circle after it had been shuttered by the Kingston and St Andrew Health Services, the accused reportedly presented themselves as public health officers to the attendees.
Harris, Smart and Gray, who wore clothing imitating the attire of public health inspectors, also reportedly presented fraudulent identification cards.
Gray, who identified himself ‘Randy Bucktoe’, was seen in a video footage not only addressing the audience but also conducting interviews with several media outlets.
He was also seen interacting with vendors and asking them to show him their official food handler’s permit to purportedly ensure that they were following the proper food safety protocols.
The men’s actions were recorded and uploaded to social media, which subsequently led to their arrest and charge.
However, the pranksters, in a subsequent video uploaded following outrage over the revelation, dubbed their actions a social experiment.
They claimed it was aimed at boosting public awareness of the ease at which public officials can be impersonated.