A police officer was caught on camera stealing money from a store he was supposed to be protecting. The video, posted on social media, shows the officer opening a cash pan and rummaging through cash bills behind the store’s desk and pocketing some of the money.
The footage reveals the officer calmly moving aside as a woman, who was the shop owner, enters the store. The woman appeared to be distraught as to why the policeman would be behind her desk. The video shows him stepping back, gesturing behind the desk, and speaking to her.
This same police officer was also previously involved in a 2018 incident involving aviation fuel near a drug plane landing, for which no action was taken against him at the time.
A simple act of kindness—carrying a water bottle on a bike—has led to an unusual charge and public outcry. On Friday night’s newscast, News 5 reported on a peculiar case involving Harrison Sutherland, famously known as “Dr. Sutherland.”
Sutherland, 34, was arrested and brought to court for facing an unusual charge with a misdemeanour for carrying the water in a way that hindered his control of the bike. The charge came after Sutherland helped an elderly woman by transporting the water for her.
This misdemeanour charge is quite rare, especially for something as simple as carrying a water bottle on a bicycle. Just like Sutherland, many citizens were shocked by the charge, with some expressing confusion online.
One user questioned, “So you not allowed to carry the 5 gallon of water on a bicycle then? I really don’t understand what’s this all about.” The user added, “That’s many people’s means of collecting their water. No one will get a taxi to pick up a $3 gallon of water; are they crazy?”
While another criticised the justice system, saying it reflects poor police training. “Need of greater discipline in the department, if not then our entire system is a failure to citizens of this country.”
Sutherland spent nearly 12 hours in police custody before being released on bail. He was scheduled to return to court on March 6, 2025, but in a recent statement from Police Commissioner Chester Williams, he announced that the charge would be withdrawn.
Williams reacted to the case, stating, “How can we now punish someone for such a kind gesture?” Williams added, “While I recognized that the police are doing their job, I believe this charge is unreasonable.” Williams stated that this case “goes directly against the grain of what we are trying to promote.”
“In light of this, I have directed that the charge against Sutherland be withdrawn on Monday.”
2024 has officially been confirmed as the warmest year ever recorded, with global temperatures rising 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels—a first in modern history. Experts say that this is not just a number; it’s a loud wake-up call that we are living through the effects of climate change right now.
Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Celeste Saulo, said, “Climate history is playing out before our eyes,” as she pointed out the ongoing impacts, including extreme weather, rising sea levels, and melting ice.
This year stands out as the 10th consecutive year of record-high temperatures. WMO’s recent analysis shows that even a single year of temperatures exceeding 1.5°C can trigger devastating effects, such as more intense storms and melting ice. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned, “Today’s assessment from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) proves yet again—global heating is a cold, hard fact.” WMO added that the fact that this is happening amid natural phenomena like El Niño only adds to the urgency.
A new study reveals that ocean heat has played a key role in this record. Oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat caused by global warming, making them the warmest ever recorded. The WMO plans to release more details in its 2024 Global Climate report in March.
While surpassing the 1.5°C mark in one year does not mean the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement are out of reach, Saulo cautioned, “Every additional increment of global warming increases the impacts on our lives, economies, and our planet.”
On Thursday, we reported the tragic shooting of thirty-year-old Giovanni Ramirez, who had provided information that led to the incarceration of attorney Oscar Selgado. News Five obtained surveillance footage showing two men on a motorcycle driving up beside Ramirez on Amandala Drive around 1:30 PM and opening fire. Today, a mother shared with News Five that she passes that very spot every day with her young son on their way to school. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on this story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Today, the street where Giovanni Ramirez was killed on Thursday was eerily quiet. Normally, Amandala Drive is bustling with parents picking up their kids from school in the afternoon. We spoke with a mother who told us she walks that same street every day to take her son to school. On Thursday afternoon, she had just passed the spot when she heard the gunshots.
Voice of: Area Resident
Voice of: Area Resident
“Me walking to St. Martin School, to ker my son. I talk to the principal when we hear the gun and the people come out, check outside. When we come back out from school, we can’t pass back deh. The police done close right deh. Nobody could pass right deh. We hear only somebody dead in a red car.”
Marion Ali
“ You missed being in the direct path of the gunshots by what, just a few minutes?”
Voice of: Area Resident
“Mm hmm, yeah. I come over quick, and I lock up.”
Marion Ali
“You pass this street every day around that time?”
Voice of: Area Resident
“Yes. Every day same time – eleven-fifteen, go for my son for lunch. Right now, twelve, bring. Bring him back and one-forty-five come back for him, same time.”
Giovanni Ramirez
Ramirez had reportedly just left Cemetery Road and was on his way to visit family in CET Site when two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him. Today, a relative told us that he was targeted out of jealousy. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams mentioned that the police would be reviewing security camera footage to identify the suspects.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“We do have security footages that we are looking at this time. And if it is that weare unable to identify those persons in the footage, then we’ll release it to the public so that they can help us identify who they are.”
Voice of: Relative
“Sometimes jealousy is a bad thing. When people see you’re trying to uplift yourself and get out of a narrative that people trying to paint you as, jealousy and envy is a bad thing in this city.”
Marion Ali
“You think it somebody who was jealous?”
Voice of: Relative
“It was jealousy.”
Marion Ali
“Of what?”
Voice of: Relative
“Just because you’re coming up. People hate to see you driving; people hate to see you’re living good, doing better things, not negativity – better things in life. And so people try to carry you down with them. It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re doing better than someone, and they’re watching you doing better than them, they perceive you…”
Marion Ali
“That was a lot of bullets the police picked up. You don’t think there was a dispute that resulted in so many bullets being fired?”
Less than two weeks into 2025, Belize has already seen three murders. Over the past two years, the Belize Police Department has worked hard to keep the annual murder count below one hundred. While this is a significant achievement, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams admits it hasn’t been easy, as many murders catch law enforcement off guard. On Thursday, following the shocking midafternoon murder of Giovanni Ramirez in Belize City, Williams spoke with reporters about how the public can help the police department.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Well if we look at the different, the murders that occurred, the one in turn, I don’t see what police could have done to prevent the one in Hopkins yesterday again. What could the police do? And this one again today. So while yes, we’re at three murders so far this year, it is three murders too much, certainly yes, but again, I don’t think that the public would unreasonably say that it is due to lack of policing efforts. We can’t prevent everything and we do hope that people do exercise some patience, adjust their attitudes, and always try to resolve conflicts by other means other than the use of lethal force. And that’s what we have been pushing through LIU, through our, um, police interventions and through the interventions done by Brother Nuri.”
It’s been six long days since thirty-eight-year-old Mason Patnett went missing, and his family is growing increasingly desperate. The last time anyone heard from him was on Sunday evening when he updated his WhatsApp status. Shortly after, he vanished without a trace. When his family checked his home, they found the door unlocked and food still cooking on the stove. Patnett’s loved ones have been tirelessly searching for him, clinging to the hope that he’s still alive. But as the days pass with no leads, their fears are mounting. His sister, Sasha Patnett, spoke to News Five earlier today, sharing updates on the search efforts and describing the emotional toll it’s taking on their mother, who is already grieving the loss of four children before this. Here’s more on that.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
It’s been almost a week since thirty-eight-year-old Mason Patnett vanished, and there’s still no trace of him. Despite relentless searching, his family, friends, and the community are starting to lose hope of finding him alive. Yet, the search presses on. Mason’s sister, Sasha Patnett, shares updates on their ongoing efforts.
On the Phone: Sasha Patnett, Sister of Mason Patnett
“When our search first started, we were, some would say naive and very hopeful and we were praying, to get him back home alive. And we’ve been pleading to the public for information about anything, and we haven’t gotten much information about his whereabouts, what transpired or anything like that. When we started off, we were so hopeful, but regrettably, it’s been 6 days and our hope is dwindling and, the reality is really setting in now”
She explains that her anxiety over her brother’s disappearance is made even worse by her worries about their mother’s health.
On the Phone: Sasha Patnett
“It’s really affecting my mom now. She’s older and she has her own ailments that she is handling right now. And this has just scaring us because it’s scaring her a lot and she’s never experienced anything like this. And I think we know now, or we now understand that he might not come home to us alive. And, at this point, we are most likely searching for a body, and so we’re just asking whoever took him to please just tell us where he is, so we could leave him to rest, and hopefully start moving on, because it’s been so hard on my mom, she doesn’t, she keeps trying to figure out where she could be.”
Some speculate that Mason Patnett’s disappearance might be tied to his past. Back in 2012, he was charged with attempted murder along with another man. The charges were dropped in 2018 after both the alleged victim and suspect passed away. His family isn’t sure if this old incident is connected to his current situation, especially since it happened over a decade ago and they believe he had turned his life around. Sasha Patnett emphasized how desperately his family wants him to come home.
On the Phone: Sasha Patnett
“Not knowing where Mason is, we don’t know, every time we hear Of a potential body or anything like that, we’re going to go through the same emotions every single time. We’re going to have to relive it over and over again. So we just want to find him at this point. My mom could at least have that to know that she knows where her baby boy is because. She might be an adult to the rest of the world and to the rest of the least, but to my mom that’s her baby boy, and she doesn’t know where she is, that’s the, and it’s really affecting her, it’s affecting all of us, but I can’t imagine how she feels right now.”
The family is planning another search soon. Even though their optimism is fading, they won’t stop until they find closure.
On the Phone: Sasha Patnett
“We are working on another search. Hopefully we’re going to have information soon and we will be sending out information asking for volunteers. I believe that because of the time that’s passed, others that are not as involved with him, they’re going to forget him and we’re just trying to keep him at the top of the news and all over the social media platforms so that people could remember that we’re still looking for him. And that he still hasn’t been found. We’re just asking, please just tell us where he is so that we can go get him.”
Earlier this week, Jamaican tourist Christopher McIntyre and his friend Sheila Williams claimed that McIntyre was assaulted by police after immigration officials denied him entry into Belize. On Thursday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams dismissed the allegations, saying McIntyre was faking it. However, today McIntyre’s attorney, Norman Rodriguez, returned to our office, insisting that his client was indeed assaulted and will take the case to court. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
On December thirtieth, Jamaican traveler Christopher McIntyre was denied entry into Belize because he couldn’t provide an address for his stay. His friend, Sheila Williams, an American who invited him, explained that she mistakenly put the address in her name. McIntyre claimed he was detained for several days and assaulted by the police during that time. He shared his side of the story with us.
Christopher McIntyre
Christopher McIntyre, Jamaican Tourist (File: January 8, 2025)
“When they had me detained, they said they were gonna have me sent back on the third of January. So on the third of January, they made the flight miss me. So when they had the flight miss me, I said to them I wanted to go home and such forth and instead of them make me feel better, they pulled me on the ground, the immigration made the police pull me on the ground, hit me on my face right here and then hit me in my ribs. And they tell me like, shut up, and relax, shut up, like I shouldn’t speak. And, you know, I didn’t have any rights.”
But on Thursday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams denied McIntyre’s claims, accusing him of being disruptive instead. Here are the arguments for and against the assault case from Williams and McIntyre’s attorney, Norman Rodriguez.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I think he’s more like from Hollywood because he really put off a show. Following the interview I saw that he did along with his attorney I tasked an investigation into the matter and that was done during which they were able to retrieve the video footages from the airport. They also interviewed and recorded statements from a number of persons who were around. And I can tell you, I personally saw the video footages that were retrieved and it clearly shows him, the video don’t have any audio, but it shows him acting boisterous. You can the gesticulations that he was doing clearly indicating that he was being boisterous. The police, as far as we’re concerned, exercised extreme care, extreme caution, and applied our policy in terms of de-escalation in dealing with the matter.”
Norman Rodriguez
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney for Christopher McIntyre
“After saying nobody touched him, he said, he was picked up to some extent. I think he did mention drag before. Now, look at the video, and I’m saying this to the public too. Look at the video. He was held by his shirt in this way and dragged into the room. His allegations are that he was dragged into the room. He was slapped and punched while he was in there. The commissioner’s further words is that nobody could confirm that. That him being beaten. Did the commissioner say flatly, we deny that and nobody confirmed. He said nobody could confirm. Okay, fine, but nobody denied it either. Even in his alleged boisterous behavior, he attempted to aggress no one. He was just behaving like a child out of control, maybe, if you want to say that, but he did not attempt to aggress anyone.”
Rodriguez points out that medical evidence supports McIntyre’s claim of being assaulted by the authorities.
Norman Rodriguez
“I can confirm that he was taken to see the doctor at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and he was only taken there because while his allegations are that while he was at the hotel after being beaten, another officer came and threatened to hit him again. That is when – from a police officer. His allegations are that when a senior officer from the Ladyville Police Station went there and said, but you see the man there in a pain. Carry the man to the hospital tomorrow, that is the reason why he’s saying that he was taken to see a doctor.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Briceño also weighed in on the matter.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We welcome any Jamaican coming to Belize. I mean, they are our brothers, they are our sisters, we all belong to Curriculum, and we have the free movement of people. And we’ve had hundreds that have come as tourists to spend time in our beautiful country and to enjoy the people and the culture and the food. But there have been many instances when, um, we’ve had people in this issue, Jamaicans, um, that would come to Belize and say they come on holiday and then after that, then they disappear. They go across the border on the way to the United States. We have, uh, a responsibility to ensure that that is kept to a minimum. And, and it’s unfortunate that, um, that, um, based on what was presented to, to the, to the department or to the officers, they felt that, um, um, that he would not meet the criteria of having enough funds and to have the, um, or the, the hotel or where is it that he was going to stay. Yeah. Thank you. Based on that, that decision was made.”
Rodriguez says his client has since left Belize, but that the matter remains before the courts.
Norman Rodriguez
“The Commissioner of Police cannot say this did not happen. I cannot say it happened. The court will decide ultimately when the evidence is brought before the court.”
Marion Ali
“Okay, so even though he’s not here, you’re still representing him?”
Norman Rodriguez
“Yes, I still represent him. And once the instructions remain that we will proceed, I will pursue it because that is my duty as an attorney.”
In the small southern community of Cattle Landing, Toledo District, eighty-eight residents have come together to sign a petition asking Village Council Chairman Waluco Maheia to relocate Digi’s cell tower. Back in December 2024, they wrote a letter to Maheia and sent copies to the Prime Minister, the area representatives for Toledo East and West, the head of Project Management at Digi, and BTL’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs Department. The residents are upset because they feel they were kept in the dark about the tower being set up at the community center. They have several reasons for their petition, starting with the claim that there was no proper consultation or vote among the villagers, especially those living closest to the tower who are most affected.
Waluco Maheia
Waluco Maheia, Chairman, Cattle Landing Village
“BTL, DIGI, reached out to Cattle Landing Village Council and requested to erect a tower, rent a space or a parcel of land to erect a tower within the community to provide better service to Cattle Landing residents, that immediate community and also a broader radius. We reached out to the villagers, hosting a meeting where the erection of the BTL tower was one of the topics. We had a turnout, it was a small turnout from the community. We had about maybe eight or ten participants at that meeting, we still addressed the topic as that is typically the average of our meetings in the past, and we proceeded with the project. It was in October, I believe, [that] the project began and majority of the villagers requested for better service and would benefit from having a cell tower in the village. I must mention, as well, that the village council and the village would also benefit because Digi would be providing rent for the space, a total of five hundred dollars a month, that would be used for maintenance of the village, the immediate community center and the football field.”
Residents are also worried about potential health risks from the tower’s radiation, concerns supported by respected environmental research from the US and other countries, including the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health.
Waluco Maheia
Waluco Maheia, Chairman, Cattle Landing Village
“We found out that a few villagers were not in consent or not in support of the current location for the cell tower and a lot of the concerns are around the health hazard of the cell towers. A lot of the concerns are, yes, the health impacts that could affect villagers. So that is the main concern around where the current location of the tower is situated. We had agreed to have a follow-up consultation with representation from Digi within this month of January. One of the villagers, the individual, I believe, who is progressing with the petition, we encourage that he exercises his right to go out and find out who is in support or not in support of the cell tower. We did encourage him to go and do the petition and the petition has been submitted and it is an eye opener for us. It is something that the village council will be following up on and we still plan on having that consultation with BTL and Digi with the community. And more so, to educate about how a cell tower works, what can be the impacts. As far as self-education that I’ve done, cell towers, like your cell phone and internet modem within your home fall under what we call non-ionizing radiation, meaning that it only produces heat, but not enough energy to damage human cells. So it is in the realm of the non-ionizing radiation, unlike ionizing radiation which produces more of like the gamma rays and heavier radiation.”
People in Cattle Landing have heard from their neighbors in San Jose and Emeri Grove that Digi plans to install cell towers in their communities too, but those towers will be placed more than half a mile away from the nearest homes. This distance is well beyond the recommended safe distance of 500 meters to avoid potential harmful radiation effects.
A shelf attendant from an Indian shop in downtown Belize City found himself in court today on an unusual charge. Thirty-four-year-old Harrison Sutherland, famously known as “Dr. Sutherland” a Belama resident, was charged for carrying a Crystal five-gallon water bottle on his bicycle in a way that allegedly prevented him from having full control of the bike. Sutherland, who appeared in court without a lawyer, shared his ordeal with us while waiting to be called in. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and wanted to explain what happened, but the magistrate told him he didn’t need to present his defense until the trial date. Sutherland was granted self-bail of one hundred dollars and released. This misdemeanor charge is quite rare, especially for something as simple as carrying a water bottle on a bicycle. Sutherland told us he didn’t even know such a law existed. He felt traumatized after spending almost an entire day in police custody, from 11:30 a.m. when he was stopped on Queen Street, until 11:30 p.m. when he was finally released on bail. He said he felt violated, especially since he was just helping an elderly woman by carrying the water bottle for her. Sutherland is due back in court on March sixth, 2025.
