Policeman Remanded Following Pistol-whipping Incident in Hattieville

Tonight, a police officer is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being charged with serious criminal offenses involving the use of a firearm inside the Hattieville Police Station.  Corporal Lawrence Jerome Martinez, a thirty-six-year-old resident of Belize City, appeared in the lower court this afternoon where he was arraigned on a pair of criminal charges before a senior magistrate.  It is alleged that on January sixth, the policeman drew a firearm and inflicted injuries upon Patrick Tillett inside the police station.  Martinez has been charged for aggravated assault and wounding.  Due to the nature of the offenses, bail was denied and he was placed on pretrial detention until April thirtieth.  Additionally, Corporal Martinez also saw the cancellation of a bench warrant that had been issued for his arrest, as he also has a traffic case before the magistrate’s court.  He failed to appear on two previous occasions, in October 2023 and February first, of this year.  The traffic case has been adjourned to March twenty-seventh, 2024.