Teens busted and charged for stealing wood from a house

Clive Geban

A thirteen year old school boy and nineteen year old Clive Geban were jointly charged with theft and handling stolen goods this morning in the Magistrate Court. Allegations are that the two stole almost two thousand dollars worth of lumber and plywood from Ewarth Sutherland. But while the older of the two pleaded guilty, he gave a compelling story that changed his plea.  Geban claimed that he was off duty from work and he was hanging out at Haulze Street where a man known to him as “Dean” offered him a two day job to remove items from a yard on Haulze Street. He also claimed that the job appeared legit and he collected for the first day work. On the second day, a minor who is his neighbor dropped by at the same time the police showed up. They were both arrested but Geban told the court that the minor was innocent and that he did not know he was stealing the items. After hearing his side of the story the Magistrate entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Geban.  The thirteen year old pleaded not guilty. Bail was offered but the two could not meet it and up until this afternoon they were in custody. Sutherland reported on Tuesday that the plywood and lumber had been stolen from his house.