UDP’s Patrick Faber appeared before the Magistrate Court this afternoon, where he was arraigned with aggravated assault and obstructing a police officer. He pleaded not guilty to both offences.
Faber, 47, was granted bail of $1,000 with one surety and no conditions. He is represented by attorney OJ Elrington. The case was adjourned to June 24. Faber is said to be filing a counter-complaint.
The charges relate to an incident involving police officers during a traffic stop near the Bel-Can Bridge in the wee hours of Tuesday, April 29. Faber was accused of failing to stop at a checkpoint and was later intercepted on Buttonwood Bay Boulevard. Officers claim the vehicle he was driving was unlicensed and that he initially said his driver’s licence was at home.
Police escorted Faber to his Bay Street residence, where he later presented the licence. During the issuing of traffic tickets, PC Dante Smith alleges that Faber recorded him at close range, refused to step back, and acted in a threatening manner, actions which led to the assault and obstruction charges.
Patrick Faber appeared at the Belize City Magistrate Court this afternoon to face charges following a confrontation with police officers during a traffic stop near the Bel-Can Bridge in the wee hours of Tuesday. According to reports, Faber allegedly failed to stop at a checkpoint, which prompted officers to pursue and stop his vehicle on Buttonwood Bay Boulevard.
Police say the vehicle was unlicensed, and Faber initially claimed his driver’s licence was at home. Officers followed him to his Bay Street residence, where he later produced it. During the process of issuing traffic citations, one of the officers, PC Dantae Smith, alleges that Faber aggressively recorded him with a mobile phone at close range, refused to step back when asked, and made the officer feel threatened.
The incident was filmed and has circulated widely online. A formal complaint led to Faber’s arrest. Sources say Faber is filing a counter-complaint against the officer involved.
Faber was arrested after leaving a UDP press conference this afternoon in Belize City.
Former United Democratic Party (UDP) Collet Representative, Patrick Faber, is in police custody after being accused with aggravated assault and obstruction of a police officer. The arrest follows an incident involving a heated exchange between Faber and a police officer at a checkpoint.
The confrontation, captured on video and circulating online, allegedly took place over a disputed traffic matter. Police say the officer involved, identified as Dantae Smith, filed a complaint leading to Faber’s detention.
Faber had just spoken at a UDP press conference at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel when police approached him. He left the venue in a private vehicle, followed by officers, and later presented himself at the Queen Street Police Station, where he was officially arrested and charged. Faber has been in police custody since.
According to internal police reports, Faber was informed of the allegations before being cautioned and taken into custody. While no official public statement has been made by authorities, sources say Faber is now filing a counter-complaint against the officer involved.
Faber left the Queen Street police station moments ago, and is appearing at the Magistrate Court in Belize City.
The British Museum is facing renewed calls to return cultural objects taken during colonial expeditions, this time from Belize. San Benito Poite, a small, village in southern Belize, has formally requested the return of human remains and artefacts taken from the ancient Maya city of Pusilha nearly a century ago, along with a $1 million BZD repatriation grant.
In a signed resolution addressed to the British Museum, San Benito Poite’s Alcalde Manuel Cucul and Village Chairman Richard Caal lay out seven key demands. These include the return of all human remains to Pusilhá for proper reburial. It also seeks the repatriation of carved stelae and altars that were previously removed from the area. The museum is asked to send back a selection of ceramic and lithic objects, with transportation costs covered by the institution. The letter requests a $1 million BZD grant to build and operate a visitor centre in Pusilhá to house and interpret the artefacts. A 10-year scholarship fund is also proposed, among others.
Between 1928 and 1931, British Museum expeditions, assisted by looter Thomas Gann, removed numerous artefacts from Pusilhá without the consent of the Maya people and in violation of archaeological standards. Items including stelae, altars, pottery, and human remains were taken, often damaged during extraction, with no proper documentation or inventory kept. The museum has since admitted it does not hold legal title to many of these objects, which remain unregistered and out of public view in storage.
Authorities have launched an investigation after a shipment containing 15 pounds of high-grade cannabis was intercepted at Customs earlier this month. The drugs were found in a consolidated shipment from the United States, the type typically sent through freight services in barrels.
According to reports, a customs officer inspecting the shipment reportedly received prior calls from two colleagues asking him to monitor a specific box, which they claimed contained bath and body products. Instead, the officer found bags of cannabis, not soap and lotions. He immediately reported it to his supervisor.
The officer who made the discovery has given a statement to police. The cannabis found is reportedly of top-tier quality, with a street value estimated in the hundreds of thousands of US dollars.
Police are investigating if this could be part of a wider, long-running smuggling operation.
The Kidney Association of Belize is alerting the public about a scam involving individuals impersonating the organisation to solicit Zoom meetings and financial donations.
In a Facebook post, the association said it received multiple reports of fraudulent phone calls and messages from people falsely claiming to represent the organisation.
“These calls and messages are not from us,” the Kidney Association stated. “This is a scam, and we strongly urge the public not to engage or share any personal or financial information.”
The association is encouraging anyone who receives such suspicious communications to report them immediately to the relevant authorities.
Minister of National Defence and Border Security, Oscar Mira, continued his national tour of military facilities with a key stop at the Belize Coast Guard’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) on Hunting Caye, located in the remote south of the country.
The base, nestled within the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, holds strategic importance. It serves as a frontline post in enforcing Belize’s maritime laws, carrying out vessel inspections, conducting search and rescue missions, and protecting vital marine resources.
In a statement, the ministry said that Minister Mira “received a capability briefing from the Sector Commander and observed an interoperability demonstration between the Coast Guard Drone Squadron and the 1st Fleet, showcasing coordination in maritime security and search and rescue operations.”
This area has been extensively reported as an ‘area of concern’ for illegal fishing, and Belizean fishermen are suspected of seeking illicit substances.
Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard, joined the minister during the inspection.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar was elected Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago after defeating the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) in a closely watched election on Monday.
The 73-year-old United National Congress (UNC) leader, who previously held office from 2010 to 2015, becomes the first person in the country’s history to return and remain the only woman to ever have led the twin-island Caribbean nation.
The vote follows the sudden resignation of former Prime Minister Keith Rowley and the short-lived appointment of Energy Minister Stuart Young, whose decision to call early elections backfired. The UNC, long weakened by internal rifts and past defeats, capitalised on growing public anger over crime, inflation, and political instability.
In her victory speech, Persad-Bissessar promised to raise public sector wages, reopen the long-delayed children’s hospital, expand job opportunities, and provide laptops to schoolchildren. “This victory is yours,” she told supporters, “and no one will be left behind.”
The PNM conceded late on Monday, with Rowley admitting the party had lost its grip. The new government faces immediate pressure to tackle rising violence and economic uncertainty.
Belize congratulated Persad-Bissessar in a social media post, stating, “The Government and People of Belize convey sincere congratulations to the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar on her election as the 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”
A tragic incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in Gales Point Village where a father of five lost his life after confronting a wild pig. Anton Andrewin was in his yard, enjoying time with friends, when the hungry animal appeared. He tried to shoo it away, but the pig turned aggressive. Its tusk cut Andrewin’s leg, severing an artery, which proved fatal. Today, the village chairman, Jason Altschaft, is urging animal owners to follow the law and prevent their pets from roaming freely. It’s illegal for animals to wander in public spaces. In this case, the pig’s owner had a history of trouble; he was involved in a fatal stabbing incident back in January. After moving out of the village, his pig became wild, searching for food until Sunday when it fatally injured Andrewin. The pig was then put down. Marion Ali reports.
Michelle Andrewin
Michelle Andrewin, Wife of Deceased
“The pig charge the third time and he jump back and I didn’t realize that he was bitten or cut or anything. And Mr. Web say, “Shelly, the pig bite the man,” and when I look, he was there coming and the blood was running down. Ih had on a long pants, the blood was running on his leg. (Sobbing) He came here, he reached here and he collapsed. The man catch him in his arms and I pulled his boxers down and there was a big cut.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
Michelle Andrewin shared the heartbreaking experience she went through on Saturday afternoon in Gales Point Village. She watched in horror as her husband, Anton Andrewin, suffered a fatal cut to his leg. The forty-six-year-old father of five was sitting with Michelle and a few friends in their yard, enjoying some drinks, when a stray pig wandered in. Anton tried to chase it away, but the pig turned aggressive and attacked him. This wasn’t the first time the pig had hurt Anton while he was trying to shoo it away, Michelle said.
Michelle Andrewin
“I was sitting here and we were having a conversation and laughing and everything, and then the pig came in the yard and was at the back of the yard over there. And he went after the pig and the dog went after the pig, and he went after the pig and it was not the first time that he get in contact with that pig. That pig hurt him more than once. He was like stoning the pig and the pig was aggressive and I was shouting. I said, “Tinny” left da pig, left da pig, da pig wa bite yoh. That’s why I’m screaming from here.”
After her husband was wounded, Michelle Andrewin tried to stop the bleeding by tying a piece of cloth around his leg. She then rushed him to the Southern Regional Hospital, but he went limp before they arrived. The cut had severed a major artery, causing him to bleed out. When the villagers heard the tragic news, they hunted down the pig and killed it. Village chairman Jason Altschaft said he helped euthanize the animal, and the villagers then sacrificed it.
Jason Altschaft
Jason Altschaft, Chairman, Gales Point Village
“When we had heard that he didn’t make it, that’s when I went back over to the family and I found out that they were chasing down the pig. I’d heard them – when I went back to go get my license firearm, I could hear them chasing the pig, and the pig was squealing. So as I got there, we put it down.”
But how will the Gales Point Village Council ensure that animal owners take responsibility and prevent their pets from roaming freely around the village?
Jason Altschaft
“Ultimately, it comes down to the owner’s responsibility. I mean, when it comes down to the law. That’s the facts. So if nobody wants to get charged, they’re gonna have to deal with this right away. I believe there’s a code that doesn’t really allow pigs in a village for several reasons. And I think we just learned one of the main ones besides disease. So those laws are in place for a reason.”
Marion Ali
“What’s the owner of the pig saying?”
Jason Altschaft
“So we haven’t actually talked to him. He’s not in the village at the moment. He was having some issues with being in the village. So he hadn’t been here for months, so, the pig had just become what we call feral. He’d become wild.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hilberto Romero says the police are investigating the incident.
“Investigation revealed that Anton Andrewin was at Gales Point when he went to chase a pig that was causing or eating his plants. The pig attacked him and he received an injury. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.”
Reporter
“Is there a law or something that governs this type of thing, that it’s possible the owner of the pig might be in breach?”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero
“An investigation will be carried out and we will have the results at the end of the investigation.”
Mertle Altschaft, who is related to Anton Andrewin, prayed that his passing would bring the village closer together, something he had always hoped for.
Mertle Altschaft
Mertle Altschaft, Cousin of Deceased
“He wanted us to unite, to live in unity, everybody that – this one don’t talk that one. This one don’t – he wanted that to stop. He wanted us to live with peace, love, understanding, and forgiveness in our heart. Each and individual. He touch their life in some way and whatever way he touch your life, he asking you to remember the good things, not the bad things.”
Michelle Andrewin shared that the pain of losing her husband cuts as deeply as the pig’s tusk that took his life.
Michelle Andrewin
“I’m trying to be strong. I’m trying my best. I’m trying my best. I don’t know how I’m feeling right now. I’m trying my best to be okay.”
