A circuit court in Dormaa Ahenkro, has remanded Kwabena Yeboah, a Rastafarian coconut seller into prison custody for his alleged involvement in a theft case.
He pleaded not guilty to the alleged involvement in the theft of items from an accident vehicle abandoned near Kyeremasu in Dormaa-East district.
He would reappear on February 4, this year.
Police Inspector Charles Agovi told the court presided over by Mr Justice V.C. Senu that on January 17 this year, a petty trader at Dormaa-Ahenkro hired a vehicle with registration number AW 323Z to cart some goods from Sunyani.
He said on reaching Kyeremasu, the vehicle knocked and killed a cyclist and the passengers rushed to report the accident to the police in Dormaa-Ahenkro.
Inspector Agovi said when the driver and the traders returned to the accident scene, they detected that thieves had broken into the vehicle and had taken away one spare tyre, nine bags of wheat brand (poultry feed), one car jack, one driver's mirror, a quantity of vehicle tools and several gallons of diesel, all valued at GH¢1,133.
The prosecutor said the suspect's strange behaviour at the scene upon seeing the police led to his arrest.
He led the police to a spot where a car jerk, two car batteries, two bags of wheat brand and the spare tyre were retrieved but insisted during the trial that he did not take part in the theft.
The same court slapped a GH¢200 fine or in default a 12 months jail term on Augustine Kwasi Buronya, a palm-wine tapper at Akontanim, near Wamfie for stealing maize from a neighbour's farm.
Kwasi Buronya pleaded guilty to the offence and was convicted on his plea.
Inspector Agovi told the court that both the complainant in the case and Buronya lived at Akontanim.
Buronya cultivated maize at Kwayem during the just-ended minor farming season and kept the harvest on the farm.
He said a few days later the complainant detected that part of the maize had been stolen so he decided to lay ambush for the thief.
At about 0530 hours on January 14 this year, the complainant saw Buronya conveying part of the maize, which he deposited in a nearby bush.
He said the complainant waited till Buronya filled his second fertilizer sack with the maize and raised the alarm but the suspect bolted leaving the sack behind.
Inspector Agovi said the complainant reported the case to the police and Buronya was arrested later.
In another development, the court also convicted Abubakari Ibrahim, a player of Nsoatreman football club to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour for stealing a mobile phone.
The footballer pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted on his own plea.
Prosecuting, Inspector Agovi said the complainant gave Abubakari GH¢10 and they later became friends. He said one morning the convict went to the friend and asked to use his mobile for an urgent call.
He said Abubakari took the phone and bolted.
Abubakari was arrested at Berekum later for committing a similar crime.