Armed robber sentenced to jail; pot grower has matter continued
By Steve Myrick
Published: October 29, 2009
Demetrio Garcia, 17, of Oak Bluffs will serve 18 months of a 2.5-year sentence to a House of Corrections. The balance will be suspended for three years of probation, under the terms of a plea agreement in Edgartown District Court last week.
Demetrio Garcia, 17, of Oak Bluffs, at his arraignment on an armed robbery charge in August. Martha's Vineyard Times file photo Mr. Garcia pled guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and larceny, in connection with the armed robbery of a cab driver in Oak Bluffs on August 5. Mr. Garcia must also make restitution for the $150 he stole that night and complete 60 hours of community service. His accomplice in the armed robbery is a juvenile. No information is available from the court about the juvenile's arrest or the disposition of his case.
A police report obtained from the court documents multiple interviews with the victim, Petar Videnov, 30, a driver for Your Taxi since May 2008. He told police he picked up the two young men on Circuit Avenue. One man wore a dark colored skullcap. The other wore a hat with an emblem.
The men directed the driver to a remote location on Vineyard Avenue, near the Oak Bluffs Cemetery. Near Dreamer's Way, Mr. Garcia and his accomplice asked the driver to stop.
At that point, the police report said, "the male with the skull cap grabbed him [Mr. Videnov] around the neck from behind using both arms across his neck holding him to the back of the seat. The other with the emblem hat held a knife in his face where he could see it. The knife was about six inches long and was a folding type."
Mr. Videnov, of Bulgaria, told police interviewers he pleaded with the defendants. The report continues, "They demanded my money. I told them 'don't do this, don't do this, it is a small Island.' I ask them please not to cut me. Somehow I got cut on my little finger, a small cut only, but is from the knife. They wanted money so I gave them all my money which was in a black paper clip. It was about $150. Some was taxi money, maybe $120, and the rest was my money."
Marijuana case
In a separate case in Edgartown District Court last week, Spencer Binney, 27, of West Tisbury, agreed to sufficient facts to support a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The court continued the matter without a finding for two years.
If Mr. Binney stays out of trouble during that period, he will face no further sanctions. He was also ordered to complete 24 hours of community service. A condition of the sentence is that Mr. Binney does not possess or use marijuana, and he must pay a monthly probation supervision fee of $50.
On August 6, as part of an aerial search for marijuana plants, helicopter pilots directed State Police to a home at 139 Skiffs Lane. Spencer Binney's father, Laury Binney, who is principal of the Oak Bluffs School, owns the property. According to court records, police found 96 marijuana plants "in and around" the Skiffs Lane property, on the deck of an outbuilding, and in a fenced garden. Police called Spencer Binney on his mobile phone, and summoned him to the property.
"Spencer acknowledged that the plants on the porch and garden were his but said not all the plants 'over there' were his, as he gestured to the area where the majority of plants were located," according to the police report. "Initially, Spencer stated that he only had a few plants. Spencer then admitted to having 14 plants. When more than 14 were counted near Spencer's recording studio, he acknowledged that the plants were all his."
