Dancehall artist Squash was back in court on Wednesday, April 2, to answer gun charges.
The Montego Bay deejay pleaded not guilty to firearm charges when he appeared in court and opted for a trial by jury. His next court hearing in Florida is set for April 7, when the judge will decide on a trial date for the artist.
Squash, whose real name is Andre Whittaker, and another man, Zidanne George Prescott, were arrested in February this year on charges of possession of a short-barrel shotgun, a rifle, possession of a machine gun, and possession of a concealed firearm.
Police say that on February 24 at around 10:58 PM, they pulled over a Mercedes-Benz sedan being driven by Prescott, 24, for a traffic offense in the 100 Block of 41st in Miami Beach. According to the police report, cops observed Squash in the passenger seat removing an item from his waistband and putting it in the car’s glove box.
Law enforcement officials asked the driver, who denied that there was a weapon in the car, to search the vehicle, and he complied. That’s when cops uncovered the guns in the glove compartment and trunk. Both men were taken into custody and slapped with the charges.
Interestingly, Squash was briefly placed in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before being transferred in March to a federal facility in Florida. The dancehall deejay nor his legal representative have not released a public statement on the matter.
In the meantime, the presiding judge remanded Squash and his co-accused into custody as they await their next court hearing on April 7.
