FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – On Saturday May 31, a concerned citizen phoned police at about 2 am, after spotting a man said to have been lurking in bushes at the rear of an apartment building between Gladstone Terrace and Beaconsfield Drive. Officers responded quickly to the scene where they discovered Michael Victor Pilgrim, a physical education instructor, at the Hugh Campbell Primary School.
According to police reports, Mr. Pilgrim could not provide officers with satisfactory information as to why he was in the area.
Yesterday, Michael Pilgrim appeared in court before Magistrate Franklyn Williams, where he was formally arraigned on the charge of vagrancy.
He pled not guilty to this charge.
Pilgrim, a Canadian citizen, has lived on Grand Bahama for the past 23 years. He was employed as a physical education instructor at the Lewis Yard Primary School for 10 years before being transferred to the Hugh Campbell Primary School two years ago.
Prosecutor Sergeant 115 David Thompson requested that bail be denied for Pilgrim. According to Sergeant Thompson, the defendant, based on factors discovered during his arrest, is now also being investigated on "other matters." This fact, according to Mr. Thompson, could make the defendant a potential flight risk.
But during the court proceedings, Michael Pilgrim spoke in his own defense, asking the court to consider the option of bail.
"The position the police found me in was very embarrassing," he maintained.
"I am guilty of how they found me, though I plead not guilty to the charge initially. I have been in The Bahamas for 23 years and teaching for 20 years. I have had no involvement with the law and I have custody of my 13-year-old son. If you grant me bail, I would comply with whatever I am ordered to by the court."
After reviewing the statements presented, Magistrate Williams granted bail to Pilgrim in the sum of $20,000. He was also ordered to surrender all travel and Canadian driving documents to the court, and was ordered to report to central police station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5 pm.
In addition to the small crowd gathered outside the courts, several educators, including District Superintendent of Education Cecil Thompson were present during the morning arraignment.
"Today is a sad day for the teaching profession," Mr. Thompson told the Journal today. "It is now up to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education to decide what will happen to Mr. Pilgrim if he is in fact able to make bail."
The case has been adjourned to August 6.
Meanwhile, police continue the search for thirteen-year-old DeAngelo McKenzie, twelve-year old Jake Grant and eleven-year old Mackinson Colas, who went missing in recent weeks. But there is no reported connection between Pilgrim's arrest and the missing boy.
Both DeAngelo McKenzie and Jake Grant are students of the Hugh Campbell Primary School before moving onto Jack Hayward High School, and Mackinson Colas is enrolled as a student of the Lewis Yard Primary School.
By Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
