South Side Larceny: 3 Burglars Caught in the Act of Breaking and Entering

A trio of burglars was caught in the act this morning in Belize City. The planned burglary occurred like this. One of the men pretended to be chopping the yard while the two others broke into house on Franklin Street to steal the belongings of the house owner who had already been robbed before by at least one of the culprits. But alert neighbors tipped of the police who trapped the men inside the house. News Five’s Duane Moody has all the action. 

Duane Moody, Reporting

Three men: eighteen year olds Jamie Williams and Elden Flowers and twenty-five year old Eleck Alex McKoy, all residents of south side Belize City were this morning detained by police after they were caught burglarizing a house on Franklin Street off the Mahogany. The men were in the area with machetes and rakes; and as one pretending to cut an overgrown lot, his accomplices would pry open the burglar barred gates, door and remove the hinges from the wooden door to gain access to the home. The police were tipped off by residents in the area and caught the trio red-handed.

Bradford Berry

Sgt. Bradford Berry, Officer Commanding, Mahogany Street Precinct

“Due to the meet and greet that has been going on in the area, myself and the community policing officers had been out meeting with other people. I had left my cell number with people from the community and one of the members from that community called me on my cell phone and told me that there was a burglary in progress at 8028 Franklin Street. I quickly got the assistance of the mobile from the Saint Martin’s De Porres area; myself and four officers proceeded to the scene where we found the burglar bar door to the residence ajar, partly opened. I proceeded inside while the other officers surrounded the house and found three male persons inside the house and the house was properly ransacked.”

But the trio is known to police for previous burglaries in the area. In fact, back in February of this year, the same house was burglarized and a number of household items, electronic devices as well as clothes and jewelry were stolen. McKoy was charged for that crime four months ago.

Sgt. Bradford Berry

“These three young men are the same three young men that four months ago, one of the three had been previously charged for burglarizing that same residence so it seems they came back and whatever reason they are targeting that said residence. But it is the second burglary at that said residence.”

Voice of: Victim of Burglary

“The back door…they went into the back door; they came into the house, took what they wanted, totally destroyed inside my house turned up everything, desktop computer, phone, tablet, tennis, clothes, jewelry…everything that they could have put their hand on and take—DVD and everything they took.”

The owner of the house, who wished not to disclose her identity, was notified of the crime in progress and hurried home. Visibly upset, she says that the men monitored her movements, but she does not know them to be from the area.

Voice of: Victim of Burglary

“Yesterday, cause the lock di give problem…yesterday they came, I had a baby pit bull and they took that. So today, they came back. It seems like they are watching. Every time yo go to work cause I left minutes to seven, go to work and come back after six. So they have enough time to come into your house and do what they want. I went in, the door is completely destroyed, the TVs off the walls. Two TVs already taken down and the police came in time so the third TV on a slant, almost to come down. The machete is on my son’s bed in the house. The rooms, the drawers ransacked. One of them, it seems like he likes expensive things, the Michael Kors watch on his hand and the earring in his pants. It seems like they don’t care and they don’t respect anyone. They don’t respect anyone. They will turn innocent people into criminals because when I came home, if I had the will of them, come on. I work hard for what I have. I di work for twenty-five years; dah noh like everything just fall from the sky. I had to earn whatever I want in life.”

Duane Moody for News Five.