Woman Avoids Jail After Fourth Conviction for Crack Pipe Possession

A Belize City mother, 52-year-old Kervisha Harris, avoided jail time yesterday despite her fourth conviction for possession of a crack pipe. Harris, a resident of #11 Simon Lamb Street, appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Ludlow Black. She was charged with possession of utensils for smoking controlled drugs after being found with a glass pipe on New Road last Wednesday, June 4. Harris quickly pleaded guilty. The prosecutor highlighted her previous convictions, but Harris claimed she had served prior fines through prison time in November 2024. She told the court the pipe wasn’t hers, and that the man who had it asked her to hold it for him when he saw police coming. She was fined $300 plus a $5.00 court cost. The Magistrate noted her early guilty plea and that she did not waste the court’s time but also acknowledged a “pattern of behavior” she needs to control. Harris has until the end of July 2025 to pay the fine or face three months in prison. This contrasts with a May 2024 conviction, where she was fined $1,000 for a similar offense and sent to jail.