November 17 court date for St Elizabeth cop who left baby in car
Published:Wednesday | October 26, 2022 | 12:08 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
DETECTIVE SERGEANT Sheldon Dobson, the policeman whose infant daughter died after being locked in his car at the Black River Police Station in January, will know on November 17 whether his case will be transferred for hearing before the St Elizabeth Circuit Court.
Dobson, who is charged with manslaughter in relation to the one-year-old child’s death, had his bail extended when he made his second appearance before the St Elizabeth Parish Court on Tuesday.
Attorney-at-law Thomas Levine, who is representing Dobson, told The Gleaner in a brief interview that presiding judge Roderick Smith set the November 17 date to allow enough time for the prosecution’s documents to be served to the defence.
“On November 17, the judge is to determine if the matter will be heard in the Circuit Court in March 2023. The hearing date (following the November 17 date) is when we will thrash it out,” Levine said.
According to reports, on January 18, Dobson was expected to have taken his daughter to daycare but he allegedly forgot and went to work at the Black River Police Station at 8 a.m., leaving her in his car.
The child was found unconscious in the car hours later, at 4 p.m., and was rushed to the Black River Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
It is understood that the child was normally left in the care of her grandmother, but was enrolled in day care after the elderly woman fell ill. Dobson was tasked with dropping the child off at day care on the day of her death.
Both of the child’s parents are employed to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). In the immediate aftermath of the child’s death, there was an outpouring of support from family and friends.
In February, one month after the tragedy unfolded, a file was sent by the JCF to the director of public prosecutions (DPP) for a ruling on whether Dobson should be charged in relation to the child’s death. That ruling came in June, when the DPP declared that Dobson should be charged.
Dobson made his first appearance before the St Elizabeth Parish Court’s Santa Cruz site on August 15, where he was granted bail in the sum of $750,000 with surety.