A 27- year-old driver, Kwame Ledi, on Friday appeared before the Kade District Magistrate’s Court charged with stealing a canoe valued at 450 Ghana cedis. He pleaded guilty with explanation and was granted bail of 1,200 Ghana cedis with one surety to reappear on August 18. Police Inspector Francis Cobbina, prosecuting, said the complainant, Wisdom Nusetor, a carpenter, and Ledi both resided at Kade. He said on July 22, the complainant and some friends sent a canoe to convey passengers from the toll bridge at Kade to Adankrono when the Birim River overflowed its banks that made vehicles unable to travel on that stretch of the road. At 1800 hours the operation of the canoe was halted by the police as a result of poor visibility and the complainant left the canoe at the toll bridge and left for the house. The prosecutor said the next day the complainant went to the spot where he had left the canoe but found it had disappeared. A group of young men from Adankrono informed him that the accused worked with the canoe all night. The complainant confronted the accused who at first denied any knowledge of the canoe but at about 0900 hours he confirmed using the boat and promised to search for it but failed to honor his promise. All efforts to retrieve the canoe proved fruitless and a report was made to the Police and the accused was arrested. The accused told the court that he knew nothing about the canoe adding “I am a driver and I do not know how to operate a boat.”