Crime - Channel 5 Belize

Police and Lands Dept. to Work Closer on Land Fraud Cases

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has also chimed in on the Doris Grant matter. This afternoon, he told reporters that the police department and the Ministry of Natural Resources need to work closely in investigating and arresting perpetrators of land fraud.

Reporter

“Sir, in relation to Doris Grant and the land fraud, this is the third, I would say, big land case that we are seeing in recent times. We had Ricardo Borja who was killed, we had Dalla Coin who was killed. They were both in land dealings, and now we have Doris Grant in this land fraud. Is land fraud now something that police are keeping a closer eye on?”

Chester Williams

“Well certainly, we have to look at it more meticulously and there needs to be proper coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don’t understand how people could falsify documents. Maybe there needs to be something done to make sure that the documents used at the land registry are not easily forged. And again, people who are purchasing land need to make sure that they do their respective due diligence. You can’t just go and buy land from anybody. You can have an agent go to the land registry and do research for you on any piece of land that you may have interest in and they should be able to tell you if that land is available or taken. And likewise, I think that within the Ministry of Natural Resources, I don’t think they have agents that would normally go out and do certain things. So if a person out in the street would tell you that they are an agent of natural resources or they are an agent of this or that, then you need to make sure you do your proper due diligence before you give them your money because at the end of the day then this becomes the issue. So it’s a huge problem for us indeed, but the issue is that many a times it does not come to the police. We only hear of it out there in the greater public and only a few of them would normally come to the police.”

No Leads or Arrests in Solomon Coleman’s Murder

Thirty-six-year-old Solomon Coleman, a resident of Punta Gorda Town, was shot and killed in Belmopan earlier this week when he was accosted by an unknown gunman. The murder took place as Coleman and his brother were walking along Cemetery Road. Despite reviewing surveillance footage, investigators are no closer to making an arrest since the culprit wore a mask. Here’s more from Commissioner of Police Chester Williams.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“In Belmopan, that murder is a very complicated one. We are still trying to ascertain exactly what happened. What we know is that the group of persons, family, were drinking in a particular area and they may have left to go and purchase additional alcohol and on the way to do so, they were approached by a vehicle. A lone gunman came out of the vehicle with a shotgun, he and the deceased had a struggle and during the struggle the gun went off and the deceased was shot fatally. We have viewed several surveillance footages in the area and we are still not able to get a good lead because the gunman had on a mask. So at this time we don’t know who the gunman is, but we are still working on it to see what we can get.”

Reporter

“Is the victim, he’s not from Belmopan, right?”

Chester Williams

“He’s originally from Punta Gorda.”

Reporter

“And he was visiting?”

Chester Williams

“I would want to think so, yes.”

Ellis Meighan, Wanted for Murder, Seeks Asylum in the U.S.

Ellis Meighan is wanted in Belize in connection with a murder that took place on the Placencia peninsula several weeks ago. Last week, it was reported that Meighan turned up in the United States and, according to ComPol Chester Williams, the murder suspect is seeking asylum in the U.S. Meighan is wanted for question in relation to the shooting death of Roy Lee Burgess back in April.

Chester Williams, Commisioner of Police

“I think the issue with Ellis Meighan currently is that he is claiming asylum so I think the U.S. will go through that asylum process to see if he would meet the asylum to be granted asylum and if he does not meet the requirement then he will be sent back home. Bear in mind that we have already issued an arrest warrant for him, likewise, his wanted poster is out there. So the U.S. authorities should know that he is wanted in Belize and Interpol Belize is in communication with Interpol in the U.S. to make sure that there is proper coordination.”

Reporter

“How were you able to locate him?”

Chester Williams

“It was not us who located him. As you said, he was found entering the U.S., by the U.S. border patrol agent and so he is in their custody right now, awaiting the process.”

Police Seeking Known Suspects in Corozal Shootings

On Monday, we reported on the two shooting incidents that occurred in Corozal district over the weekend, one of which, was fatal. The first shooting occurred on Saturday night when a man was targeted in his yard and gunned down. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says the recent act of violence was the result of rivalling groups in the area. The fatal shooting occurred around one thirty a.m. at the Mi Compa Bar in Ranchito Village and is believed to have been spurred by a dispute between two parties. We asked Williams for an update, and he informed us that police have identified the suspects and are seeking them for an arrest.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The Corozal murder is rather unfortunate. I must say that, again, it is important that the liquor licensing board listen to the police. We had made several attempts to have that bar closed down. It was closed down temporarily for a little while. And the reason we had made those requests was because we foresaw this happening. But again, they were able to get licensed and continue to operate and now this happened. Nonetheless, the police are on top of it. We know who the suspect is and we’re still pursuing that person at this time. We’re hoping to find that person very soon and then we’ll be able to lay charges against that individual. But again, it was a group of persons who had some misunderstanding and that misunderstanding led to the fatal shooting of the victim.”

Britney Gordon

“And there was a shooting not too far away in Parisa Village. Do you know anything about that?”

Chester Williams

“Yes. That shooting, likewise, we know who the person who the person who did that, and we’re looking for that person as well. We believe that may have something to do with our rivaling issue between two, two particular groups in the area.”

Police Make Huge Crystal Meth Bust

Last weekend, the police made a huge bust of crystal meth, perhaps the largest that they’ve made so far. They have arrested three persons for their find and today Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told reporters that they intercepted the drugs in a vehicle at a mechanic shop in the Cayo District. Williams said that their operations along the border areas have yielded good results, and this was one such occasion when their search turned up a significant find.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“It is a huge bus for us. We have been doing a lot of operations along the border areas in the districts that borders different country, that borders Guatemala and then Orange Walk and Corozal that borders Mexico. And these operations we do regularly yield good results for us. I am extremely proud and happy of the work done by the Anti-Narcotics Unit in that operation. It’s a huge – I think it’s the largest bust we have had of Crystal Meth. And it needs to be celebrated, and indeed maybe, we need to toot our horns some more. I think that we don’t toot our horn as much as we should. They were found at a, I think a garage area, a mechanic shop in a vehicle. The team did their investigation and the investigation done by them was what led to the arrest of those persons who were charged.”

Reporter

“So how many people were arrested?”

Chester Williams

“Three persons were charged.”

Belmopan Man Murdered While Walking on Cemetery Road

Police are seeking one individual following a murder in Belmopan. Reports are that thirty-six-year-old Solomon Coleman was walking along with his brother on Cemetery Road when a gunman on a bicycle targeted him. Information suggests that the brothers were socializing not too far from where Coleman was gunned down, when they decided to go for beers at a nearby store. There are no details on the motive for this incident currently. Coleman and his family were preparing to relocate from the area today. We sought comments from the family, but they declined. We will continue to follow.

Murder in Belmopan

Belmopan police are looking for one person for questioning in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred earlier today.

The victim has been identified as 36-year-old Solomon Peter Coleman. His body was discovered on Cemetery Road in Belmopan. He had been fatally shot.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Coleman was walking along the street when he was shot and killed.

The body is currently awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Selvin Ramos is Charged for His Brother’s Murder

Independence police have arrested and charged Selvin Ramos for the murder of his sibling Eladio Ramos, following a deadly shooting on May twenty-sixth. The brothers reportedly got into a physical altercation on Sunday during which Selvin produced a shotgun and fired a blast that killed Eladio. In the wake of the incident, investigators waited for instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions on how to proceed with charges. On Tuesday, Selvin Ramos was arraigned on a single count of murder.

Armed Robber Turned Bush Lawyer Walks Free of Charges

Earlier today, thirty-nine-year-old Jamaal Jackson, a well-known criminal, was acquitted of the charges of attempted robbery and grievous harm. As we’ve reported, Jackson was accused of attempting to jack a pair of security guards who were making a night deposit at Scotia Bank on Albert Street back in 2016. During the incident, Jackson was pursued by police after coming under gunfire when they responded to the robbery in progress. A woman police officer was injured in the head and arm during the shooting. An investigation subsequently led to Jackson’s arrest. But tonight, he’s free of both charges as the case could not be proven in court. After two days of a voir dire, the matter ended with a nolle pros, setting Jackson free of the charges. Of note is that Jackson appeared unrepresented in court.

Notorious Ellis Meighan Detained in the U.S.

The infamous Ellis Meighan was reportedly detained in San Diego, USA, recently. The Belize City man is wanted for questioning in the murder of 33-year-old Roy Burgess. Back in April, Burgess was shot while inside his vehicle on mile twenty-two along the Placencia Road with Maia James.

They were approached by a male suspect, who opened fire on the unsuspecting pair. James was shot in the face. Meighan is also wanted for her attempted murder.

Police are also seeking twenty-nine-year-old Joseph Vaccaro in relation to this incident.