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One Dead, Seven Rescued In Search And Rescue

Today, one man is dead and several other persons were injured after a search and rescue operation between Turneffe and English Caye was carried out. This afternoon around 2 pm, the Belize Coast Guard received several alerts of a boating incident in the area. In these reports, they were notified of eight people in need of assistance and six coast guards were dispatched to the scene. In an operation taking just under two hours, seven people were rescued and one body recovered. We spoke with Melissa Jones, Operations Officer for the Belize Coast Guard for more information.

On the phone:

Mellissa Jones, Operations Officer, Belize Coast Guard

“Concerning today, we received a call at 2:38 p.m. from on e by the name of miss Briseidi Tzul reporting of a capsized vessel with eight individuals on board between the area of Tarpon Creek and English Caye.“

Britney Gordon

“So in this event, how many people were injured or were able to be rescued?”

Mellissa Jones

“After we received a call from miss Tzul, our quick response team departed our headquarters at roughly 2:40 p.m., and while making their way, they made contact with a sailboat by the name of Naidelyn, who had then, who was en route to Belize, who was the first to respond to the scene, and they had rescued four individuals and one motionless body. The crew then informed our commander of our quick response team that there were three more individuals in the water and due to the weather challenge of the wave conditions, they couldn’t have rescued those remaining three individuals. So with that information, our quick response team proceed in the general direction that they had informing them where there has rescued the four individual first and our crew rescued the three remaining individual at approximately 3:58 p. m. Roughly two miles east of Sergeant Caye and Pouch Caye.”

Britney Gordon

“So how many people were dispatched on this search and rescue?”

Mellissa Jones

“Our quick response team is consist of six individuals. “

Britney Gordon

“Okay, and how long did this operation take?”

Mellissa Jones

“I would say this operation takes under two hours.”

Britney Gordon

“And you mentioned that one motionless body was recovered. Can you give me any updates on that situation?”

Mellissa Jones

“When it comes to that one motionless body, all I can provide you with is that the body was retrieved from the sailboat, who had rescued the four individuals first, and we then ferried that body along with the remaining crew. So it’s a rescue of seven more individuals, and we brought them to our headquarters where the body is being handed over to the police.”

Britney Gordon

“What are the states of the other people that were rescued?”

Mellissa Jones

“There weren’t much injuries. There were one individual by the name of Mr. Jason Magana that was dehydrated and so our medic transported him to the KHMH.”

Britney Gordon

“Is there any updates on what the cause of this incident was?”

Mellissa Jones

“At this moment, no, I don’t have any other information concerning what caused it. The vessel to capsize.”

Britney Gordon

“So we just, are waiting on a police report to hear about the, the man that was motionless upon rescue?”

Mellissa Jones

“ Yes.”

Alleged Scammer’s Rampage Dates Back to 2020 in Costa Rica

Last night, we told you about a tourist who is in police custody after allegedly scamming a high-end resort of twenty-seven thousand dollars in services. As we reported, a man who is identified as forty-year-old American national Nicolas Paula spent nine days at It’zana Resort and left the resort without settling his debt. He was detained in San Pedro on Tuesday. Well, News Five has learned that allegations against this individual surfaced from as far back as June 2020 in Costa Rica. A vacation home rental company in Costa Rica shared on social media that the same individual, who at the time was being identified as Christopher Marchena, was using pictures and videos of their homes to scam people. The report alleges that Marchena was deceiving people by offering them very low prices and asking for advance payments. That was almost four years ago and today he has found himself in a great deal of trouble far from home. Further allegations are that he scammed multiple business establishments in Belize. We continue to follow.

Brandon Gillett will go to Trial for Firearm Offenses

Thirty-eight-year-old Brandon Gillett, a court bailiff, appeared before the Chief Magistrate for a second time earlier today. As we’ve reported, he was arrested and charged in December 2023 for firearms offenses. This morning, when Gillett appeared in court, he requested a sentencing indication. He was informed that, by law under a section of the Firearms Act, the minimum sentence is five years. However, the Chief Magistrate, using her discretion as it relates to first-time offenders, can impose a lesser prison time for someone with no previous convictions. In Gillett’s case, she could sentence him to one year. Upon hearing that, Gillett told the court that he is prepared to go to trial and, with that, his case was further adjourned April thirtieth. At that time, Gillett is expected to be provided with disclosure in the matter and a new date for trial will be agreed upon. A search of Gillett’s residence in Los Lagos on December twenty-first, 2023, turned up a Springfield .223 rifle which was altered, as well as a nine millimeter pistol. He was charged with five counts of altering a firearm. He remains out on bail since December twenty-ninth after he was able to pay the ten thousand dollar sum.

Trio Accused of Murder Rejects Partial Disclosure

Three alleged suspects, accused of the grave yard murder of eighteen-year-old Gabriel Tillett, appeared in court today to receive disclosure, however, they rejected the partial disclosure that the court was offering them. They are twenty-eight-year-old Samuel Trapp, twenty-three-year-old Robert Lamb and twenty-six-year-old Kevin Lanza.

The trio appeared before the Chief Magistrate this morning where they were provided with partial disclosure in the amount of seventy-three pages. Lamb expressed his disappointment with the partial disclosure and told the court that it is unfair for the prosecution to provide them with only part of the evidence despite the fact that the period for disclosure had already expired. Lamb, Trapp and Lanza said that they will wait for full disclosure in the matter. Tillett was found dead inside the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery on July fourth, 2023. He had been lying face up with multiple injuries to the face.

ACC Holds Candlelight Vigil for Slain Student

A candlelight vigil is underway at the Anglican Cathedral College where students, teachers and parents are gathered to mourn the loss of fifteen-year-old Lamisha Moody. The high school student was gunned down on Wednesday night here in Belize City, as she stood in front of a shop in the Jane Usher Boulevard neighborhood. Moody, along with Troy Hyde, a well-known street figure, was shot and killed during an attack in which Hyde was the intended target. The teenage minor had gone out to purchase foam plates ahead of a class trip when she was shot and killed. In the wake of the deadly shooting, the faculty and staff of A.C.C. issued a release condemning the wanton gun violence that claimed the lives of Lamisha Moody and Troy Hyde. On Thursday, the Commissioner of Police indicated that the vehicle believed to have been used in the deadly assault has been impounded. An arrest is yet to be made, however, police remain on high alert in the event of a reprisal.

Dangriga Man Murdered While Socializing

One man is dead following a shooting in Dangriga. Thirty-three-year-old Delroy Menzies relocated from Belize City to Dangriga five years ago. In October, he moved into the area where he was killed, along with his partner. On Thursday night, Menzies, his partner and a close friend of his were at Kulcha Kitchen on Plum Street. That is where they spent most evenings socializing. But, on Thursday night the unexpected happened. A gunman walked up to Menzies outside the business establishment and shot him in cold blood. Tonight, family and friends of the deceased are reeling from the loss, as they try to put together the pieces. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Thirty-two-year-old Delroy Menzies, a father of one, lost his life to gunshot injuries he sustained on Thursday night while socializing. Menzies, his partner and the owner of Kulcha Kitchen were sitting down outside the establishment, as they do daily, when a gunman approached them. He opened fire and an injured Menzies fell to the ground.

Voice of: Friend of the Deceased

“I was outside and Delly and my cousin which is his girlfriend and someone came to order a food and I get up go inside to get the food and as I reach inside I hear three gunshot and when I came outside, my cousin mih the bawl and I noticed that Delly get shot. So I called nine one one, I called the police.”

We spoke with Menzies’ cousin off camera. She told us the family is still without a clear picture of what transpired on Thursday night outside Kulcha Kitchen.

Voice of: Cousin of Deceased

“We try to put the pieces together because nobody gets the true picture as yet.

Somebody call and tell we what happened so up to now the police still nuh she nothing, suh we just have to go by what the police the do. It is very hard and it hurt very bad because it puts pain in everybody heart, not lonely his mother but everybody who loves and respects him and the community itself.”

Shortly before the gunman approached Menzies, a group of men drove past and uttered some words at him. But, his friend says that they didn’t sense any danger from those comments.

Voice of: Friend of Deceased

“Yes I mih the yah and a vehicle just pass and she hold your gial tight and that is it. I ask dah who and he said he doesn’t know who it is. I don’t know who it is, so we don’t know.”

Paul Lopez

“When you heard that and heard remarks coming from that vehicle that didn’t raise any suspicions from you at the time?”

Voice of: Friend of Deceased

“No because we nuh the think nothing. We just sit down and continue talk. We nuh the think nothing, he nuh the think nothing, cause he she he nuh know dah who. So we nuh the think nothing like that.”

During our interview with Menzies’ friend, a police mobile drove by with two men in the pan of the vehicle. News Five confirmed that the men are persons of interest in Menzies’ murder.

Voice of: Friend of Deceased

“The body was on the ground for like two hours and change and the police didn’t want anybody to take him to the hospital and everybody the ask take the man to hospital. Deh she deh cant touch the body, nobody could take ah dah hospital. We deh ask well, if yo lef wah person fuh dead, if dah unu, you mih wah want deh ker yo dah hospital right?”

Reporting for News 5, I am Paul Lopez

Missing Corozal Man’s Vehicle Allegedly Turns Up in Burrell Boom

Fifty-seven-year-old Rosalito Pacheco, a taxi driver from Corozal Town, mysteriously disappeared in early February. Today, a family of three, a mother and her two sons, was dragged before the Belize City Magistrates Court to be arraigned for handling stolen goods. Police allegedly discovered Pacheco’s vehicle and keys at the home of forty-four-year-old Tricia Young, a resident of the Fresh Pond area in Burrell Boom Village. Young and her two sons, eighteen-year-old Imari Young and twenty-two-year-old Christopher Young, have been jointly charged with the crime of handling stolen goods. The trio appeared before a Senior Magistrate with attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley. At their arraignment, they pleaded not guilty to the charge. Their attorney then asked the Senior Magistrate to take record of his clients’ time of detention and when they were brought to court. Bradley contended that the time exceeded forty-eight hours and violated the rights of his clients. Imari and Devin Young also told the court that they were badly beaten by police officers while in custody. The brothers allege that plastic bags were placed over their heads during interrogation and that they were beaten with a two-by-four piece of wood. The court took note of these allegations and with no objection to bail, the trio was granted bail in the sum of two thousand dollars each, plus one surety of the same amount. The court also demanded that they report once a week, on Fridays, to the Burrell Boom Police Station. We heard from their attorney outside the courtroom.

Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney

“The disturbing thing is that in the case of the two sons, you heard them individually explain to the senior magistrate the ordeal that they suffered in the case of the second accused, I won’t call his name, he was badly beaten at the police station in Burrell Boom, where in addition to, as he said, wapped several times in a two by four and a plastic bag being put over his head while handcuffed to try to get some air and he was punched and kicked and the younger brother who is only eighteen also suffered some beating at the hands of the police to end up with a charge that they were handling a stolen vehicle which was not found in their yard. It is a serious matter for the police in the sense that the vehicle is said to be owned by a person who has gone missing. So we can understand that they are trying to breakthrough with an investigation but that is no excuse for what we heard in court this morning that the commissioner of police and the minister responsible for the police who are in government for three years need to have some written guidelines and public know. And don’t tell us to make a report at Raccoon Street, noting ever comes out of that. We need an independent investigative arm that deals with police officers who behave like criminals. That is uncalled for to try and suffocate someone to get information which they didn’t end up getting anything for.”

Mexican Car Theft Duo Handed Three Years in Prison

A pair of Mexican nationals will spend the next three years behind bars at the Belize Central Prison after pleading guilty to the charge of theft and abetment to theft of two rental vehicles. Back in July 2023, a 2020 white four-door Kia Sorento and a 2021 white four-door Equinox, each valued at sixty thousand dollars, belonging to Budget Auto-Rental Car were stolen. The duo is comprised of Alejandro Gonzalez, who is charged with theft and Carlos Morales, who is charged with abetment to theft. They were arraigned on October 2023 and appeared today before Justice Nigel Pilgrim who stated that if the men had been tried and convicted before a jury at the High Court, then the penalty would be the same, which is no less than ten years. However, Pilgrim began the penalty at six years and after revisiting the case made before the crown and its proven elements, Pilgrim noted that the duo cost the company more than two hundred thousand dollars in losses and inflicted psychological damage as well. As a result, the starting penalty was raised to eight years. Pilgrim proceeded to deduct three years due to the pair showing signs of remorse and an additional year and eight months was deducted for their guilty pleas, leaving both with a three-year, four-month sentence for each car to be run concurrently. Pilgrim also ordered Vasquez to pay a sum of forty-six thousand, five hundred dollars with depreciation for the loss of the Equinox, while Morales was ordered to pay the sum of forty-seven thousand, seven hundred seventy for the Kia Sorento.

Stevedores, “Government Proposal is Disgusting And Unacceptable.”

The Christian Workers Union, the representative body for stevedores, is not impressed by the government of Belize. Negotiations have been in the works between the government, which is the owner of the Port of Belize, and stevedores over the sugar payment owed to them for several years now. On February fifteenth, a proposal was presented to the union and now, having read it, the members are not pleased. The union held a meeting today in order to discuss how they plan to move forward and counter respond. We attended the meeting where C.W.U. President, Leonora Flowers, expressed the union’s displeasure. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that report.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Leonara Flowers, President. C.W.U.

“Today, we are meeting with our members from the Port of Belize, our union, to find out and get directive what they want us to do. You may know that last week, on the fifteenth of February, we got a proposal from the interim board at the port. Needless to say, our members are not at all pleased with what was returned to us. It is just a regurgitation of what was given when the port was under the previous management. And we did not expect the government to do this. So today we are getting directive from our members. Where this is going.”

Flowers stated that the contents of the proposal were utterly disrespectful in her eyes, claiming that pension that members are already entitled to, was being passed off as the sugar payment stevedores are asking for.

Leonara Flowers

“I am even ashamed to see what’s in that first proposal. It’s disgusting. It’s unconscionable. It’s just a frustrating bunch of, you know what. This has come to the team before in 2020 and it was completely rejected. What they proposed to do again as I stand here, I will tell you shamelessly The interim board is proposing to give to the stevedores money that already belongs to the stevedores, part of pension that they have already paid for, they are already entitled to that. So that is what they’re proposing to give back to say that is as we call it the sugar money that is unacceptable and we’re not having it and that is why we’re out here today with her members to give us a clear directive. Where do we take this from here?”

Flowers explained that the union has been ready to present its proposal for several years and wishes to start the negotiations at its offer.

Leonara Flowers

“We had our proposal from we began like two, three years ago. When the interim board came in, they knew what that proposal was. And they said to us, don’t give us your proposal, we’ll come back to you. And they came back, so low. So extremely low and with a huge disrespect as well, to come and say to our members, you know we’ve been saving some pension for you, this is already yours. Take this and go away. You don’t do that to people. We’re not going to have that. And we’re looking at this straight at the government. Straight at the government. And we also know that in Belize City, we have all those members, ministers of government, who have gone on record to say they have the stevedores back. They should be paid. They should get what they’re entitled to. That’s not happening. So we’re looking at them as well for some responses today.”

Flowers further stated that she never expected these proceedings to occur when the Government of Belize acquired the port and is calling on them to do better.

Leonara Flowers

“I expected that we will sit and negotiate and they will look at this stevedores and remember that an ESAT decision has said, sit and negotiate and remember that they signed an agreement to say when sugar leaves the port of Belize, if it does, then there shall be an award. Where is that award? Where is it today? The government needs to do better and we are calling on them to do better.”

In December 2023, Prime Minister John Briceño stated that acquiring the port was the best decision the government could make for Belize and was optimistic about negotiations with the stevedores meeting a successful conclusion with time.

Prime Minister John Briceño (File: Dec 14, 2023)

“I think it was best for us to be able to sit down to negotiate a settlement for us to be able to take over the port. We did not want to go down the line of nationalization. We have seen what happened with the previous government in 2009 when they nationalized BTL, and it was fight after fight, and the liars made millions of dollars. And we wanted to avoid that. And then to ensure that we can find a settlement that would be in the interest of Belize. And we believe that that’s what we accomplished. Now, the Stevedores, they need to understand that we are just taking over this company. And we need to try to see how we can fix it. And I am sure that the Interim Board will probably find the time to be able to meet with them.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Brandon Gillett Appears in Court Following Gun Charges

Thirty-eight-year-old Brandon Gillett was back in court on Wednesday after being granted bail in the sum of ten thousand dollars for five firearm offenses he was charged with back in December 2023. The court bailiff, accompanied by attorney Orson Elrington, appeared before the Chief Magistrate where a date for full disclosure has been set for February twenty-eighth. On December twenty-second, three days before Christmas, Gillett showed up in court unrepresented and charges were read to him after police visited his home in Los Lagos to execute a search warrant for unlicensed firearms. They found two weapons, including a nine millimeter Glock pistol and a .223 Springfield Armory Rifle with several attachments for which he didn’t have written authorization from the Commissioner of Police. The search followed an incident that was recorded and shared on social media during which Gillett brandished the rifle in front of a group of churchgoers attending a funeral service here in Belize City. He was subsequently arrested and charged, remanded to custody for seven days, before being released on bail.

Incidentally, the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board announced earlier today that it will be conducting an audit and placing a moratorium on firearm licenses for .223 rifles. The release states, (quote), this decision comes as part of the board’s commitment to ensuring transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of firearms and ammunition in Belize. In addition to the audit, the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board has also decided to impose a moratorium on the processing of firearm licenses for .223 caliber rifles pending a review. This decision aims to ensure that the issuance of such licenses is done in a manner consistent and in the best interest of public safety, (end quote).