Featured - Channel 5 Belize

Man Almost Loses Life Over Mechanic Tools

A Belize City man is wanted for aggravated assault after allegedly pulling a gun during an altercation. Thirty-three-year-old James Nunez told police that he was on his property when four individuals exited a black Isuzu Rodeo and began threatening him. Nunez says one of the persons attempted to steal some car parts from him and left some tools behind. That individual returned to retrieve the tools and reportedly punched Nunez in the face several times. Nunez told police that he pulled out a knife to defend himself. That is when his attacker allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told us more.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The report is that the victim was saying he was in front of his home sitting on a bucket and he was approached by two persons or three in a black rodeo. One, Randy August alighted the vehicle and approached him and inquired about some tool that he may have left at the victim’s garage while he was trying to steal some parts from some vehicle. So he came back for the tools. He and the victim had an exchange during which the victim took out a knife to defend himself and Randy told the girl that was with him to get the gun out of the vehicle. The gun was retrieved and the victim eventually ran and made a call to the police. Police responded and the Rodeo was intercepted. But Randy August and another person had escaped. I am not sure if he has been caught by police but certainly if and when he is caught it is a matter for the police to look at for aggravated assault.”

An Alleged Impersonator Says She is A Victim

Last night, we told you about the San Pedro resident who was arrested and charged for the crime of obtaining property by deception, after allegedly impersonating Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde on Facebook to scam unsuspecting users out of money. Well, that woman, thirty-seven-year-old Ada Toro says that she is innocent and that she is actually a victim herself. In a report elsewhere in the media, Toro says that she, too, genuinely believed the person behind the Facebook page to be Minister Hyde. So, when money was reportedly deposited to her account with instructions to withdraw those funds and deposit it into another account, she believed she was working for the minister. Today, reporters asked the Commissioner of Police for his take on her claims.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I don’t know much in terms of the intricacies of the investigation. That will be something within the knowledge of the investigators. I am sure there must be sufficient evidence for the investigators to have been able to draw down on her and arrested her. And let me say this, there are a number of scams going on social media and I think these scams are easy to detect if you apply common sense. I think some people might just see certain deals on social media and it might have moved them so much that they fail to do necessary due diligence that would have led them to know it is not genuine. I just want to say to people to be careful before you make any deposit to people who are offering you things online. There are several things you can do to verify that those persons are not authentic and then look for example the issue with the ghost vehicle. I don’t know who would buy a vehicle and not see the vehicle and for the person to tell you later on I done got the vehicle you need to send more money, you wah send more money and nuh see the vehicle yet. You must apply commonsense and you will find out some of these things there are not really true. In this case I believe the lady’s banking information was what was used. I don’t see who would use your banking information knowing that the money is not coming to you it is going to someone else. So that I find very strange. I am not saying that what she is saying is not true. But why would I enter into a scam, give your banking information, the money will not come to me it will go to you, it makes no sense.”

Boots Raises Serious Concerns About Citizen Security in Port Loyola

As we reported at the top of our newscast, a well-known street figure was executed in the Jane Usher Boulevard neighborhood on Wednesday night. The deadly attack on Troy Hyde, which also claimed the life of fifteen-year-old Lamisha Moody, came just a few weeks ahead of the March sixth municipal elections and it is believed that his murder is gang related. Earlier this week, former Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez raised concerns about citizen security in that part of Belize City considering that polling stations for two adjacent constituencies have been designated along Faber’s Road. Those constituencies are also homes to rival gangs that may come into contact with each other on Election Day. Here’s how Martinez puts it.

Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Former Area Rep, Port Loyola

“This issue is with Elections & Boundaries and the Chief Elections Officer’s recommendation as to have a polling station da Port Loyola. Excelsior being a polling station da Port Loyola. My number one concern is citizen security, but apart from that, Excelsior High School is separated by a fence with St. John Vianney and Excelsior High School sits in the Queen Square constituency. Two thousand and nine people are asked from the Jane Usher Boulevard area to go to Excelsior to vote. One thousand, four hundred and forty people need fu pass through the same area fu go da Muslim School fi vote. One thousand, six hundred and odd people who vote in Queen Square are asked to go to St. John Vianney to vote. Yoh cyant get wahn hundred yard line, wahn hundred yard barrier from Excelsior to St. John Vianney, so da weh kinda case yoh wah have. Then yoh have the healthcare facility, the health clinic right beside Excelsior. My main concern, though, da with di various gang rivalry issues within the area. Yoh have Gill Street, yoh have LBC, yoh have Sunset, yoh have all kinda thing. My main concern da citizen security. I hope that the Chief Elections Officer would really consider citizen security. That’s my main concern.”

Santander Employee Loses Life In Freak Accident While on Duty

A Santander employee died in a freak accident on Saturday while working on a cage that the company uses to transport sugarcane. Police reports are that Anastacio Vasquez, an employee of Santander for eight years, was repairing a tire on the machine when the cage slipped off and fell on him. He died on the scene. Santander says it spoke with the employees that were in the immediate area. Those employees informed management of the sequence of events that led to Vasquez’s unfortunate demise. We spoke over the phone with Beverly Burke, the PR Manager at Santander, who informed us that the company is still reeling from Vasquez’s death. She says Vasquez was executing a task that he has done countless times during his time of employment there.

On the phone: Beverly Burke, PR Manager, Santander Sugar Group

“Very sad time for us here at Santander, Mr. Vasquez has been with us for a total of eight and a half years, a long standing excellent worker for us. He worked for us initially as welder, his profession a mechanic. So, what transpired on Saturday night was we had one of the cages we transport sugarcane in, the tire went out and they jacked it up to make the necessary repairs. Mr. Vasquez went to the side of the cage to retrieve a tool and in so doing his assistant shouted to him that it was slipping and as opposed to, the direction he took was in the same direction where the cage was slipping and unfortunately it toppled over and crushed him.”

Paul Lopez

“Is this something that, in the company’s view warrants some sort of investigation?”

On the phone: Beverly Burke

“What we did was that immediately we were called and I informed the authorities within the jurisdiction. We came to the location and they did their investigation and we chalk it up to an unfortunate situation, I don’t know. It is one of those accidents that you are left with your jaw dropped thinking how did this even happen. I mean, we would classify it as a freak accident. These are stuff they work with all the time. The terrain we harvest through there are often times tires you have to change out and stuff like that so these stuff are jacked up often, tires are changed and they go about their normal scope of work. So it still is very much hard to process.”

Chinese Businessman Remanded for Shooting Customer

Twenty-nine-year-old Wenjing Lei, a Chinese businessman, appeared before a Senior Magistrate earlier today where he was read two criminal offenses, including one count of use of deadly means of harm and one count of wounding. It is alleged that on February eighteenth, Reno Castillo was standing in front of Guan Fa Store along with another individual when an argument ensued between Castillo and the shopkeeper. According to the welder, during the exchange of words between himself and the grocer, Wenjing Lei, who was inside his uncle’s place of business, produced a firearm and fired a single shot which caught him in the foot. In court this morning, attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley appeared on Lei’s behalf, where he informed the court that the virtual complainant was present to address the matter. The Senior Magistrate explained that there was no such instruction to the court and briefly adjourned the matter. This afternoon, Lei’s attorney did not return to court and his client was subsequently told that since the allegation made against him involved the use of a firearm, he would not be granted bail. With that, Lei was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March first, 2024. We understand that Castillo has provided an additional statement to police in which he requested no further court action, however, that information has not been forwarded to the court.

CCJ Dismisses Appeal in Wilfred Elrington Vs Progresso Heights Limited

Today, the Caribbean Court of Justice handed down a ruling upholding the Court of Appeal’s decision in the matter between former Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington and Progresso Heights Limited. Just over a decade ago, Elrington as a shareholder in Progresso Heights Limited, visited the Lands Department and filed cautions on one hundred parcels of land that the directors were attempting to sell. This is after Elrington and the directors had a falling out. Progresso Heights Limited then brought a lawsuit against Elrington to have the cautions lifted. In 2019, the High Court ruled in favor of Progresso Heights Limited and awarded them over three hundred thousand dollars in damages. Elrington then appealed the matter at the Court of Appeal. The appeal was dismissed and the order of the trial judge was affirmed. Elrington then took the matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision. The CCJ came to the conclusion that there was no need to interfere with the decision of the Court of Appeal. Here is that decision.

Justice Maureen Rajnauth- Lee, Caribbean Court of Justice

“The court held that there was no reason to interfere with the view expressed by the Court of Appeal, that the question of whether the claim was legitimately brought by the company did not arise on the pleadings and was therefore not an issue. It has not been disputed that that issue was never raised in the appellant’s defense. In addition, the appellant did not seek to strike out the claim brought by the company. Further, the appellant did not seek to appeal the trial judge’s ruling, granting the company application to permit Mr. L Schneider’s evidence to be given at the trial by video link, even though the trial judge had accepted by that ruling Mr. L Schneider had the requisite authority to make that witness statement. The court also observed that the appellant made no application to amend his defense to ledge that the company’s claim had been brought without the requisite authority despite the strong objections by counsel for the company during the cross examination of Mr. L Schneider on that issue. Following these judgments, the appeal was dismissed, the orders of the Court of Appeal was affirmed and it was ordered that the appellant pay to the respondent cost of this appeal as agreed to by the parties.”

Belize City Man Shot Over $15 Dollars Debt

A Belize City man was shot on Friday night over fifteen dollars that he reportedly owed. Reports are that Eugene Thompson was at his home in Belama Phase Five when a man known to him as Hubert Paqiul arrived at his house and told him that he came to collect the fifteen dollars owed. According to Thompson, he told Paqiul that he will pay him the following day, but Paqiul refused to leave. Thompson told police that he then went back inside to get some money for Paqiul. He alleges that when he returned to give Paqiul the money, twenty-seven-year-old Victor Parham fired one shot at him. According to Thompson, he ran back inside his house and jumped out of his room window to hide in a nearby bushy area until police arrived.

Police later detained Parham and Paqiul. Both of the accused men were arraigned in court today. Parham was charged for attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm. Paqiul was charged for the crime of abetment to commit murder. No plea was taken from them. Due to the nature of the offense, they were denied bail and remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until April nineteenth.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Friday the eighteenth day of February, 2024 around nine fifty p.m. police responded to a shooting at Belama phase 5. Upon arrival they saw Eugene Thompson with gunshot injuries to the body. He was taken to the KHMH where he was listed in a stable condition. Investigation reveals that Eugene Thompson was at his yard at the address when two male people came and fired at him. Two persons have been detained and arrested and charged, namely Victor Parham and Hubert Paqiul. Victor Parham was charged for attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and Hubert Paqiul was charged for the crime of abetment to commit murder.”

Man Shot During Altercation with Chinese Business Owner

A Belize City man was shot outside a grocery store on Sunday afternoon in Belama Phase two. According to police, thirty-nine-year-old Reno Castillo was socializing in front of the store when he got into an argument with the proprietor. Police say the nephew of the owner pulled out a licensed firearm and shot Castillo to the leg.

A.C.P. Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Sunday the eighteenth day of February 2024 at three p.m., police responded to a shooting incident at a store in Belama. Upon arrival they found Reno Castillo with gunshot injury to the foot. Investigation is that Castillo was at the store outside when there was an altercation and at some point a Chinese national that was at the store fired one shot that caught Castillo to the foot. He was taken o the KHMH, treated and released. One person is in police custody pending investigation into this report.”

High Speed Police Chase and Shootout in Hattieville

A high-speed police chase on the Burrell Boom Road led to a shootout between police and a group of men. Police officers had erected a checkpoint on the George Price Highway after receiving information that there were individuals onboard a public bus carrying a firearm. Officers later set chase after a white Geo Prism sought to evade the checkpoint. The vehicle reportedly made an abrupt stop near the Belize Central Prison. One person exited the car and began shooting at the officers. The officers immediately returned fire, says ACP Hilberto Romero.

A.C.P. Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Hattieville Police were pursuing a white car on the Boom road. Somewhere along the prison area the car stopped and a male person came out the car firing shots towards the police mobile. There was an exchange of gun fire and thereafter the person got back into the car and they fled from the area. Police continued to chase and lost the vehicle somewhere on the Boom bridge area. The police vehicle received damages to the bonnet and the windshield. The car left the area and we did not locate it.”

Man Loses Life in Santa Elena RTA

One man is dead following a road traffic accident involving a taxi and a motorcycle on Saturday evening in Santa Elena Town. Twenty-seven-year-old Jorge Cocom was driving the taxi, while twenty-four-year-old Marvin Caceres was driving the motorcycle when both automobiles collided on George Price Avenue. Unfortunately, Caceres succumbed to his injuries. Cocom has since been served with a Notice of Intended Prosecution. We spoke with Marvin’s brother, Melvin Caceras, over the phone. We also heard from ACP Hilberto Romero about the incident.

On the phone: Melvin Caceras, Brother of Deceased

“Marvin just came from work. He passed my house and he and my next brother went to river to bath when I get a call saying that my little bro had an accident. I was in Benque and I came to Santa Elena and I saw the motroycle from my little bro and the vehicle of Jorge Cocom. He is a taxi driver. By that time I asked him what happened, he said he was going towards the car wash and my little brother was passing and he never saw them. He ran up into them. So I call my mom and she told me my little brother dead. Now Jorge Cocom he nuh get charged. He never get locked down. Now the problem is, they said why we pick up Marvin to take him to the hospital. They said we couldn’t pick him up. So, now ih look like they want to charge my cousin and wife because deh pick him up.”

A.C.P. Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Police responded to reports of a fatal RTA at Santa Elena Town. Upon their arrival they saw a Toyota car with extensive damage. Also seen was a motorcycle with damages. The driver of the car was identified as Jorge Cocom and the drive of the motorcycle was identified as Marvin Caceras. Marvin Caseros was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An investigation is being carried out at this time to determine if any charges will be levied.”