Crime - Channel 5 Belize

Remains of Missing Taxi Driver Found in Consejo

The remains of fifty-seven-year-old Rosalito Pacheco have been found in Consejo Village in Corozal. On February first, 2024, the San Joaquin Village taxi driver was reported missing by concerned family members after failing to return home the night before. In late February, Pacheco’s gold Toyota Corolla and keys were found at the residence of a family of three in Fresh Pond. Forty-four-year-old Tricia Young, a resident of that community and her two sons, eighteen-year-old Imari Young and twenty-two-year-old Christopher Young, were jointly charged with handling stolen goods. On Monday, April twenty-ninth, Pacheco’s family was summoned to identify remains that were in a shallow grave near Consejo Village. Here’s more from Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Monday, the twenty-ninth of April 2024, police visited an area in the Corozal District on the Consejo Road, where human remains were found. The area was visited by the forensics. The remains were taken to the laboratory for analysis. Some items were found in the area which were identified by the family as suspected to be the body of Rosalita Pacheco, who had been reported missing a couple of months ago.”

Reporter

“The commissioner of police has stated that a Cruz Castillo was killed by police was one of the main suspects. Did the investigation reveal whether or not he may have killed mister Pacheco?”

Hilberto Romero

“He was a suspect. Again, he is now deceased. So that is the closure for that. That is all information I can provide at this time.”

Reporter

“The persons that were charged with handling stolen goods in relation to Pacheco’s vehicle, did they say whether or not they had gotten the keys or whether or not mister Cruz had left that vehicle in the area?”

Hilberto Romero

“They were charged for handling stolen goods only. And that is all information that we have that they were in possession of that vehicle, but we do not know if they have any connection to the murder.”

Reporter

“Any indication of how they got the car?”

Hilberto Romero

“At some point, they are saying somebody brought the car to them in the area of Burrel Boom. “

Britney Gordon

“Any indication of how he might have died?”

Hilberto Romero

“Not at this time. We are awaiting the post mortem examination.”

Construction Workers Discover Human Remains in San Pedro

On Friday, April twenty-sixth, police received a received a report on the discovery of human remains in San Pedro Town. The report came from contractor William Galiano, after his team discovered a human jawbone amongst other bones while they were digging. The team had reportedly only dug about three and a half feet into the ground where they intended to erect a post when the bones were unearthed. The authorities were notified around five twenty p.m., and an investigation was launched. Here’s Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero with more details.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Friday, the twenty-sixth of April, 2024 police visited an area north of San Pedro where some work was being done. The workers came across human remains. The remains were removed from the area by the forensics and they were taken to the laboratory for analysis. The remains were taken to the forensic laboratory. An examination will be conducted, but at this time we do not have any information who the remains are for.”

Reporter

“Any clothing was found?”

Hilberto Romero

“No clothing was found, no.”

Reporter

“Any missing persons reported in San Pedro?”

Hilberto Romero

“Not at this time, but we have recent reports, no.”

Britney Gordon

”What about the state of decomposition?”

Hilberto Romero

“Advanced state of decomposition, and so we are awaiting the post mortem results.”

Wanted for Murder, Dimas Duarte Found in Honduras

In August of 2023, forty-six-year-old Dimas Duarte, a naturalized Belizean laborer of Billy White Village, was involved in a shooting incident which led to the death of Eric Estrada. Reports are that during a brawl, Duarte pulled a handgun and fired several shots at Estrada, killing him. Since 2023, Duarte has been wanted for murder and on the run for the past eight months. He had managed to evade police capture until just a few days ago when he was captured by police in Honduras. Duarte was arraigned in the Benque Viejo Magistrate’s Court earlier today and was remanded until the eighteenth of July 2024. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero updated us on the arrest.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Dimas Duarte forty-six-years of Billy White Village was arrested and charged for the murder of Eric Estrada, which according 2023 at El Rey Bar in Billy White. He was taken to court this morning where he has now been remanded to prison.”

Reporter

“Did Honduras police give an indication of where or how they found him?”

Hilberto Romero

“No, I do not have the exact location where he was from. All I know is that he was found in Honduras.”

San Antonio Man Stabbed at Bus Stop

Tonight, a man is still in critical condition after he was stabbed during an altercation on Sunday. Pacifico Ogales was at a bus stop in San Antonio Village in Toledo when a dispute between him and several others turned violent. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hilberto Romero briefed us on the details thus far.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Sunday, the twenty-ninth of April 2024, police visited San Antonio Village, Toledo District, where they saw a male person identified as Pacifico Ogales with a stab wound to the neck. He was immediately taken to the Punta Gordo Hospital for treatment, where he remains in a critical condition. Investigations that he was at a bus shed in the village and he had an altercation with some persons to which point one of them inflicted a stab wound to him. We have one suspect in custody and the investigation into this matter continues.”

Consejo Village Resident Murdered In His Backyard

The quiet of Consejo Village was shattered on Thursday evening when a resident was gunned down inside his yard. According to police, twenty-nine-year-old Johnny Arana was working in his backyard when a gunman emerged from some nearby bushes and opened fire on him. Arana’s home is situated at the entrance of the community. In fact, the village’s welcome sign is erected directly in front of his home. Consejo Shores, a community of predominantly expats, is located within the vicinity. News Five understands that prior to the shooting incident, a security alert was issued in Consejo Shores’ neighborhood watch group informing residents of suspicious activities in the area. Shortly thereafter, shots rang out and residents of Consejo Shores took necessary actions to secure their properties. One resident told News Five that incidents of this nature never occur in the village. We were also informed that there are several cameras in the area that may have captured the incident. Arana and his family are well known to villagers as they own a business in the community. We sought comments from them, and they declined. A motive is yet to be established. We will continue to follow this story.

Assault Victim Says She Never Threw a Glass at Attacker

Earlier this week, a woman took to social media to plead for justice after she was allegedly physically assaulted by a man. According to twenty-five-year-old Andreinae Samuels, she had recently left Shisha Eight Lounge when she got into a verbal dispute with another woman. Samuels claims that before the argument got physical, twenty-eight-year-old Rene Flowers intervened and proceeded to beat her to the ground, allegedly in defense of his friend. Following the incident, Flowers proceeded to file his own report against Samuels, asserting that she had thrown a glass at him first. We spoke with Samuels today who refuted that account. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The incident occurred between the late hours of Sunday night and early Monday morning at Shisha Eight Bar and Lounge. According to twenty-five-year-old Andreinae Samuels, she and her boyfriend had an argument, during which Samuels threw a drink at him. After being asked to leave the premises, she claims that she was provoked by a woman and later attacked by the woman’s friend, Rene Flowers.

Voice of: Andreinae Samuels, Assault Victim

“So I was out after Reggae Sunday at Shisha Lounge. I was put out because I threw a drink over my boyfriend. And went, I left to go and see if guy was at his house, if I came looking for like my boyfriend and they said he was not there. So while I was standing there, the girl, she was like provoking me and stuff like that. So we just had a back and forth and then after that, I had a water bottle in my hand. And before I could even do anything with this bottle or whatever, this boy hit me to the ground, right? He said he would do anything for his friends. And after he continuously hit me on the ground, The girl in the back. beat her whatever. Her friend came out crying, not really crying, but trying to help me. She was like, why you to try help her? And stuff like that. I had a group of friends who end up find me. And we tried to set chase up on the car, but we couldn’t because they were like swerving and stuff to try and make us crash.”

Flowers was brought in for the assault on Monday. However, Samuels would receive a call the following day asking her to report to the station.

Voice of: Andreinae Samuels, Assault Victim

“Tuesday, I was called in by a corporal and to bring my ID. When I reached, they told me I am detained for common assault. So I was like, really? I’m trying to get the understanding why am I being detained for common assault when I didn’t throw water on this guy. She then said that, it happened in Shisha that I threw a drink on this guy, his story also saying the same thing that I threw a drink on him in Shisha. This was said in front of the judge as well that I threw a drink on him in Shisha. He was nowhere in the vicinity that I was in Shisha. He also said that something about a pint bottle, never once you would have seen those glasses all over the place. Basically, he get bail, and it’s just like I just still in a shock because we used to work together and he used to be my friend. So that kind of was a twist to it.”

Samuels said that the attack left her reeling, as Flowers was someone, she had previously considered a friend and that violence of this nature should never be inflicted on a woman by a man.

Voice of: Andreinae Samuels, Assault Victim

“I get a black eye. I have my knee that is messed up every day, like it opened up more. I have scratches on my buttocks cause I had on a skirt, like my face bruised at the bottom and just everywhere hurt. I can’t eat, that the one thing that is affecting me, I can’t eat because he hit me in my face, like a lot of blows. I just want to go ahead with the court case and see what happened from there. I have my attorney and everything already, so I just hope that it don’t go like this because he should have never put his hand on me because in no way, shape, or form that even respectable as a man.”

Samuels maintains that she never intended to get physically violent with any person involved in the dispute and is currently working on gathering witnesses from the scene. She implores the police department to review the video footage from the bar in hopes of clearing her name. Britney Gordon for News Five.

Osmar Correa will be Extradited to US to Face Manslaughter Trial

Forty-eight-year-old Osmar Correa, a businessman from Belmopan, will be extradited to the United States where he will be tried in a court of law in the state of Texas. Earlier today, Chief Magistrate Jayani Wegodapola handed down that decision in a sixteen-page document and concluded that, “I am satisfied that the evidence contained is sufficient according to the laws of Belize to justify the committal for trial of the defendant, Osman Eliasar Correa, as if the offense of which he is charged had been committed in the territory of Belize”. Correa is wanted in Texas on a charge of intoxication manslaughter, following an incident on March twenty-third, 1998 that resulted in the death of two persons, including someone inside an ambulance. Before leaving the courtroom, Correa was informed that he has fifteen days before the proper proceedings for his extradition are concluded, referring to all the documents that are needed to be prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Correa was represented by attorney Bryan Neal, while the state was represented by the DPP and Senior Crown Counsel Stacy Martinez.

Joseph Camp Asks Kareem Musa to Investigate Police Department

U.S. citizen Joseph Camp has written to Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa to request an investigation on the actions of the Belize Police Department’s Commissioner, Chester Williams and another member of the department. Following this letter, he has also written to Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, seeking a prosecutorial inquiry into the actions of the department. Last month, thirty-nine-year-old U.S. citizen, Joseph Camp ran into trouble with the department after he took to social media to air his grievances about a shooting incident his family member was allegedly involved in. Camp was charged spreading false news for information he shared during a Facebook livestream on the night of the shooting. He pleaded guilty to this charge and was ordered to pay a fine of six hundred Belize dollars, however, on April twenty-third, Camp wrote Belize’s Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam, asking for a pardon for the offense. In the letter to the Governor General, Camp said that while he accepts full responsibility for his actions and understands the gravity of the situation, the information he spread had been provided to him by a Belize police detective. In his letter to Musa, Camp wrote, “on the days following the events Clyde Chester Williams, in his capacity as Commissioner of Belize Police Department, seemingly endorsed actions that led to, quote, the suppression of my freedom of expression and freedom to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment as guaranteed under the Belize Constitution. This suppression and treatment occurred in conjunction with an unprovoked physical assault on my in-laws and I by an unidentified officer. These actions took place without any provocation from our side, thus exacerbating the already distressing situation surrounding my brother-in-law”. He ended his letter by requesting the immediate suspension of Commissioner Williams and officers involved in the incident, pending the outcome of the investigation. When asked about the letter, DPP Videl told us that the constitution does not grant her the power to investigate criminal offenses. Camp has said that he has written to the United States State Department and U.S. Embassy in Belize about the incident.

Shanique Meighan Speaks Out After Being Released from Prison

Last week, we reported on the detention of Shanique Meighan, sister of Ellis, Tyrone and Shaquille Meighan, all of whom are known to the law. Her older sibling, Ellis, is wanted in connection with the murder of Roy Burgess in Placencia. Reports are that on Wednesday, April seventeenth, police entered the home of Shelly Meighan, where her daughter had been socializing and conducted a search. After the police left the premises, Meighan arranged a ride with a friend and left her mother’s house. Shortly after, she was picked up by police and detained, allegedly under the SOE, and sent to prison the following day. On Thursday, Meighan was released from prison and returned home. While she has declined an interview, she has released a statement detailing her experience. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that report.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Shanique Meighan recounted the events surrounding her detention and alleges that the ordeal began after police entered her mother, Shelly Meighan’s house, to conduct a search. According to the family, police were unable to find anything illegal and left the premises. Shortly after, Shanique Meighan would arrange for a friend to pick her up. However, the companions would not get very far as they were quickly approached by the police and told to pull the vehicle over. In a statement from Meighan, she said, “After we complied, they informed us they were conducting a search. Despite finding nothing illegal, the officers pressured me to disclose our destination. They threatened to detain me under the state of emergency and even implicated me in a murder investigation if I wouldn’t reveal my brothers’ whereabouts. They handcuffed me at the roadside and transported us directly to the Queen Street police station.”

Meighan claims that after arriving at the station, she was denied the right to make a phone call and placed in a cell, while her companions were taken to a separate area for questioning. This interrogation allegedly lasted for five to six hours before they were brought back to the general area of the station. She said that after spending the night with no outside contact, her friends were taken for another round of questioning. After which she was transported to the Belize Central Prison.

Meighan went on to say, “About ten minutes before it was time to go up for the state of emergency, they took me behind the station. There, they handed me some paperwork but offered no explanation. I was then placed on a bus with only male prisoners for transport.… Upon arrival at the prison, I was handcuffed and subjected to a strip search. They processed me as an inmate, even taking my picture. Without explanation, I was placed directly in solitary confinement, a poorly ventilated cell they referred to as “the ice holder.” I was threatened with remaining there for the entire state of emergency. My meager provisions consisted of a single piece of bread, some water, a malfunctioning toilet, and a mattress. The oppressive heat made the ill-fitting orange jumpsuit unbearable. Despite my detention, I was denied a phone call and any change of clothes.” Meighan also claims that it was only after another prisoner caused a disturbance and needed to be placed in solitary confinement, that she was moved and allowed to stay with the other female inmates. She said that her cell did not have a working toilet and she was made to wear handcuffs every time she wanted to use the bathroom or shower. Meighan’s mother claims that she had sent a bag of clothes to the prison for her daughter to change into after receiving permission to do so. However, she claims that she never received these clothes and instead had to wash the undergarments she arrived in. She concluded her statement by saying, “My lawyer’s initial attempt to see me was denied. Finally, around nine p.m. the night before, they informed me they were preparing for my possible release…GI3 officers arrived at the prison with a revocation order from the Minister of Police, indicating the state of emergency order under my name was lifted. They released me and simply dropped me off at home, still wearing the same clothes I was arrested in…This experience raises questions about the absence of support from the Special Envoy for Women and the Minister of Human Development during this ordeal.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Nearly $50,000 Deposited Into Wrong Account

Today, a woman was charged for dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit after nearly fifty thousand dollars of the Belize Government Lottery was mistakenly deposited into her account. That woman is Kathleen Belisle, a thirty-two-year-old security guard at the Philip Goldson International Airport. On Wednesday, March twentieth, 2024 about two p.m., Prem Balani, a twenty-five-year-old Belizean Accountant at Nandos Wholesale LLP visited Precinct two Police Station Crimes Investigation Branch Office and made a report. Allegations are that on March eight, 2024, Belisle retained a wrongful credit of forty-seven thousand, nine hundred thirty-five dollars and forty-five cents in Belizean currency. Belisle allegedly knew that the wrongful transaction had occurred but did not take the necessary steps to ensure that the transaction was cancelled. Balani told police that Nando’s Wholesale LLP is one of the Sales Agent for the Belize Government Lottery and on Friday, March eighth, 2024, he sent the money to a Belize Bank account, believing to be the account of Bi Yun Chen at Lowes Supermarket which is a Sub- Agent for the Belize Government Lottery, but on Wednesday, March sixteenth, 2024, Balani received a call from a Sales Representative at Nando’s Wholesale LLP who was inquiring about the payment to Lowes Supermarket as to why the money had not been sent. Proof of payment was sent to the Sales Representative at Nando’s Wholesale and shortly afterwards the representative informed Prem Balani that the Belize Bank account number was wrong and belonged to someone else. That is when the Belize Police Department launched an investigation into the matter and sent a request to the Financial Intelligence Unit to ascertain who the account belonged to. No plea was taken from Belisle as the prosecutor indicated that the matter will be taken to the High Court on indictment. The Prosecutor, Christopher Smith, had no objection to bail being offered to Belisle; however, he asked the sitting magistrate to set stringent conditions to her bail. With that the sitting magistrate offered Belisle bail in the sum of six thousand, plus one surety of the same amount, or two sureties of three thousand each which she needed to meet by four p.m. this evening.