Cop in Court for New Asia Assault

Steven Parham

Also in court this morning, Santa Elena resident Steven Parham, a Corporal of Police, was arraigned for discharging his firearm in a public place and for the aggravated assault upon Christine Gentle, an employee of New Asia Restaurant. Parham was initially remanded to prison by Magistrate Michelle Trapp, but by one-fifteen this afternoon, Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore heard his bail application, filed by Attorney Oscar Selgado, and Parham was given bail of five thousand dollars. The thirty-nine-year-old was among several other officers who are on training in the city, but on Tuesday night, they stopped at the restaurant to purchase food. There, he pulled out a gun at the waiter and would later fire shots on Youth for the Future Drive. Attorney Selgado spoke with News Five today following his hasty bail hearing.

Oscar Selgado

Oscar Selgado, Attorney for Cpl. Steven Parham

“The law under the crime control and criminal justice act prevents magistrates from giving bail. I immediately then made an application to the Supreme Court where Madam Justice Antoinette Moore heard the application at one-fifteen this afternoon and granted bail on several conditions. It is now up to the police on whether or not they will put Corporal Parham on interdiction or not. I am saying this because it is not every time that a public officer is charged with an offense that he ought to go on interdiction. Interdiction is at the discretion of the head of department; in this case the commissioner. So I am saying that the allegations are allegations and they have to be proven in court and under the presumption of innocence, he is innocent.”

Bail was offered with stringent conditions in which Justice Moore ordered that Parham is to report to the San Ignacio Police Station every Friday, and he is not to interfere with any of the witnesses in the case.  He was also ordered to attend his next court date set for November twenty-second, 2017.