A man who used a screwdriver to remove his electronic tracking device had his probation replaced with a prison sentence yesterday.Kawesi (Simba) Wilson, 36, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to damaging the device between April 19 and April 30, breaching the conditions of his probation in the process.Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday that Wilson, from Somerset, was sentenced to two years’ probation on March 7 with numerous conditions after being convicted of burglary in February. Bail conditions included that he follow a curfew and wear an electronic monitoring device.A violation was reported on April 3, at which time the monitoring device recorded Wilson entering a restricted area on Court Street at around 7am, and stayed their for around an hour.The court heard that another violation was recorded on April 15, when it became apparent that the monitoring device was not being charged. Wilson was then fitted with a new device.Days later, at around 6.05am on April 19, the signal from the device faded again. Efforts were made to contact Wilson, but he could not be contacted by phone.On April 30 officers attended the Scotts Dale, Sandys, home where Wilson was supposed to be residing. The owner of the property told officers that Wilson was not there, handing them the tracking device.The device had sustained damage to a fibre optic strap, with repairs costing around $25.Police launched a manhunt for Wilson, who later turned himself in to police. Questioned, he admitted using a screwdriver to remove the device.Speaking in Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty, Wilson claimed he removed the device because it had previously malfunctioned, making it appear that he had entered an area restricted by his probation.“I felt that on the second try, it didn’t make sense to even try to explain my case,” he said.Defence lawyer Marc Daniels explained that his client has issues with drugs and requires treatment, but Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner responded that it did not appear Wilson wants treatment.“He was still on probation and required to go to probation services to be helped, but he has demonstrated he is not interested in that,” Mr Warner said.The magistrate replaced Wilson’s previous sentence of two years’ probation with nine months in jail.He further ordered Wilson spend one month in prison for damaging the monitoring device, with the two sentences to be served consecutively.