Jahshii, Dane Ray Beat DRMA Breach Charges

Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) charges against Cream Of The Crop artist Jahshii and Dancehall producer/artist Dane Ray were dismissed today after the entertainers appeared in the St. Elizabeth Parish Court.

The two men, who were both represented by attorney at law Thomas Levine, also pleaded guilty to charges of not wearing a mask.   However, they were not fined.

“The offence of not wearing a mask is not held against your record and based on that, I instructed them to plead guilty because they could choose to fight it for two to three dates, or they could plead guilty and cut their losses, so they agreed,” Levine told DancehallMag.

Failure to wear a mask has attracted fines up to $200,000.

Levine read the case file and realized that the investigating officer’s account was consistent with that of his clients.

“Jahshii and Dane Ray were instructed to leave their motor vehicle by the cops and taken to the superintendent who then instructed the investigating officer to charge them for not wearing masks. The Judge thought the behaviour of cops to be curious but since my clients pleaded guilty, they were admonished and discharged given the circumstances. There was no reason for them to be fined,” Levine said.

In January, both Dane Ray and Jahshii were arrested and charged with breaches of the DRMA, after a contingent of cops swooped down on an illegal party in Leeds district, St. Elizabeth.

According to Levine, the artists never breached the curfew orders as they were arrested within curfew hours.

He commended the investigating officer on being truthful in his report.

Jahshii, whose real name is Mluleki Tafari Clarke, had been embroiled in controversy last year since he labeled Jamaican police as the epitome of corruption and criticized veteran artists such as Shabba Ranks for being “afraid” of up and coming artists, during an Entertainment Report interview with Anthony Miller on Television Jamaica (TVJ).  In 2016, at age 16, Jahshii entered the wildly popular Unruly Clash hosted by Popcaan and gained recognition as the first runner-up.