Religious Leader Arraigned on Rape, Sexual Assault Charges 

President of the National Evangelical Association of Belize, NEAB, Victor Hernandez, was this morning arraigned on charges of rape and sexual assault. According to reports, Hernandez, 65, was charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He was granted bail of ten thousand dollars, with one surety of the same amount.

Hernandez, who leads the Toledo Faith Outreach Christian Center, is being accused by a 38-year-old woman who alleges that he raped her on two occasions: August 2015 and March 2016. One of the incidents reportedly took place at a store once owned by Hernandez. According to the report, the victim did not report the incidents because of fear, shame, trauma, and a desire to keep the matter from her family.

Hernandez also faces a sexual assault charge from a 2021 incident in which he allegedly grabbed the woman’s breast.

This is a developing story.