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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
The extended weekend saw the deaths of several motorists, all from road traffic incidents. On Sunday, Elmer Flores was found lying motionless next to his motorcycle in Saint Matthew’s Village. Another fatal incident occurred the following day in Cayo District, when a motorcycle driver, identified as Justin Vasquez, was found with severe injuries to the head and body. Also at the scene was an abandoned pickup truck where the perpetrator presumably fled from. We spoke with Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero for the full report.
“On Sunday, the twenty-eighth day of April 2024, police visited Saint Matthew’s Village where there was a report of a fatal road traffic accident. Upon arrival, police saw a Ford one fifty pick-up and a motorcycle extensively damaged. Police finally checked and saw the lifeless body of a man, Elmer Flores forty-six-years with several injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Information is that Alberto Romero was driving the ford one fifty and he overtook several vehicles and collided into the motorcycle just coming in the opposite direction. An investigation was carried out and Alberto Romero has since been arrested and charged with driving motor vehicle due to careless intention. Causing death by careless conduct and manslaughter by negligence.”
Reporter
“No alcohol involved?”
Hilberto Romero
“Urine specimen was obtained and that will be tested. On Monday, the twenty-ninth of April, 2024 police visited Cristo Ray Road where there was a fatal road traffic accident. They saw a motorcycle with damages and found at the scene was a person later identified as Justin Vasquez, thirty-one-years, with several injuries to the head and body. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Information is that a pickup truck had crashed into a lamppost and the wires were hanging across the street when the motorcycle came and he got caught in the wires. We are still looking for the driver of that vehicle who fled from the scene after the accident.”
Earlier, we reported on two fatal road traffic accidents that occurred this weekend that led to the deaths of two individuals. Regrettably, there are two more deaths to report because of road collisions. On Saturday, a sixty-three-year-old man was found injured on the Bullet Tree Road near his motorcycle. He was taken to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. The following day, on the Phillip Goldson Highway, a person was found dead near his bicycle. One person has been detained for the incident. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero gave us some more details.
“On Saturday, the twenty-seventh of April, 2024, police responded to a fatal road traffic accident on the Bullet Tree Road. Upon arrival, they saw a red pickup and a motorcycle with damages. Information is that the motorcycle is being driven by Jamil Betran, sixty-three years. He received several injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he passed away two days after. Rene Kewell was the driver of the vehicle involved in a red pickup. He was arrested and charged for fail to provide specimen for analysis.”
Reporter
“So likely alcohol was involved?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yes, that is what we suspect. He was under the influence of alcohol. “
Reporter
“Will more charges be levied?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yes, our charges will be upgraded since the victim passed away. On Sunday, the twenty-eighth of April, 2024, police visited an area between mile seventy-seven and seventy-eighth on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Upon arrival, they saw a bicycle with damages. A male person later identified as Gabrielle Chable with several injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police later recovered a Toyota four runner vehicle. A person was detained. He was identified as Carlos Avila and he has now since been arrested and charged for manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct and drove motor vehicle without due kind attention.”
Attorney Oscar Selgado returned to the High Court today, where his new attorneys, Arthur Saldivar and Darrell Bradley, were given time to review their client’s reports prior to mitigation. Bradley appeared virtually, while Saldivar had another court matter to attend to and was absent from the proceedings. There are three reports that have been furnished to them for perusal: a prison report, a social inquiry report and a psychological report that have all been prepared by people who have had a chance to analyze the defendant over the past few weeks. Selgado, convicted of abetment to murder upon Marilyn Barnes in 2019, was ordered to return to the court on May thirteenth, when his attorneys will present a mitigation plea on his behalf, asking for the court’s leniency in sentencing him. But Selgado, who has already filed for an appeal of his conviction laid down by Justice Nigel Pilgrim, had other concerns as he appeared in court today. He asked the court’s indulgence to investigate the dosage of insulin that the prison system has been administering to him. He said that he had erroneously informed the prison of the amount of insulin he should be receiving, but that he had corrected the error. Now he says the prison is still administering double the dosage that he should be receiving, and it is now resulting in a dangerously low glucose level for him. He also said that he asked his family to provide a physician for him this morning. The doctor revealed that upon administering a test, Selgado’s glucose level was far lower than it ought to have been. Justice Pilgrim said he would do what he can to have the matter addressed. But when we checked with the C.E.O. of Kolbe Foundation, Virgilio Murillo following Selgado’s complaint, Murillo responded saying “Doctor Novelo told me he just got that clarification from him on Friday last … his glucose is tested regularly and the doctor has not raised any concerns about him whatsoever,”. Selgado asked permission to meet with his family before he was escorted back to the Belize Central Prison, and he was granted that opportunity. After speaking with him, his attorney, Arthur Saldivar, told reporters about the process ahead for Selgado.
Marion Ali
“The judge asked the other attorney for Mr. Selgado about three reports that I think you must review in order to prepare for mitigation: a prison report, a psychological report, and I think a social assessment report. Can, you speak to those? Have you been able to review those reports?”
Arthur Saldivar
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“No, I have not. Those are standard reports whenever a person who has been accused is convicted of an offense. Those reports are normally antecedents to the sentencing process. In so far as they exist, I believe they have been forwarded to the attorney with conduct of the mitigation. A Notice of Appeal has been filed. This has nothing to do with that. This is the natural termination of the trial process. So he was convicted. Now he has to be sentenced for this trial to be fully concluded. And once the trial is fully concluded, then and only then would he be able to go to the court of appeal. But he has made his application already for this matter to be appealed.”
Before the case was adjourned, Justice Pilgrim shared with Selgado a copy of a sentencing guideline from another country on attempted murder, explaining that he had not seen a sentencing guideline for this region that he could share. Selgado noted upon receipt of the guideline that it was for attempted murder, to which the judge explained that only the relevant portions of the guidelines could apply, such as aggravating factors and mitigating factors. But Saldivar did not agree that the guideline was appropriate to share, and he explained why.
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“I don’t see guidelines pertaining to attempt murders being adequate in this circumstance. From my understanding of the facts, the virtual complainant was under no threat of life at any time. A third party made claims that at the end of the day, the court accepted and convicted on, but the virtual complainant herself, no attempts were made on her. That would be a mitigating factor – a major mitigating factor – that the virtual complainant was never under threat, never perceived any threat. And I think another mitigating factor would be that the judge himself believed what Mr. Ramirez said, in that he never intended to do anything in respect of the murder, okay. So, if the judge does not believe that Mr. Ramirez was going to do anything and the virtual complainant herself was under no threat, I don’t see what more mitigating factor than that one would need. The no convicted is saying that an error was made in law and that error in law in fact, may very well result in him being exonerated. So until then, I would not want to speak with any finality on any findings that was made in this instant matter.”
On Monday, the Belize Electricity Limited informed its customers that CFE Mexico is encountering difficulties in maintaining power supply to our grid. As a result, CFE has asked the company to make the necessary arrangement to supply Belize’s demand from our local generation sources. According to B.E.L.’s statement on Monday, the nation’s demand for electricity is currently over one hundred megawatts, while the maximum available in-country capacity is around eighty-four megawatts. So, what does that mean? Well, B.E.L. will have to carry out significant load shedding to maintain the stability of the grid. In simpler terms, the company must temporarily cut off electricity to certain areas to prevent the entire system from failing. Belize Electricity Limited held a press conference this afternoon where Jose Moreno, the General Manager of Distribution Services, told reporters that the company is working to increase its supply capacity to the country.
Jose Moreno
Jose Moreno, General Manager, Distribution Services BEL
“Last night was one of those days where they called us and told us we need to curtail your supply and you guys need to zero the transfer of power at the interconnection point. When that happened we had to bring up all the generation possible and that was not enough so that we could zero and that was not enough. We had to do some load shedding. We opened some of our distribution feeders to meet that requirement. What is happening to us is something we saw happening and we took action. We went ahead and purchased another gas turbine and we have deployed that to San Pedro however that is still not commissioned. It is expected to be commissioned by the end of May early June. We have another project that is really impacting our decisions, is the availability of the gas turbine at Mile Eight. That unit is undergoing another upgrading project. We are almost at the end of the third week in that project. We have GE and other contractors working on turbine replacement. That is why we went ahead and notified our customers that during these thirty days we will be very vulnerable because without the additional mega watts of capacity, we take that twenty megawatts from our in country equation, we lose the capacity to have those emergency or block start procedures in case we lose the system. That happened this morning.”
According to Moreno, since Monday night there have been numerous interruptions to electricity supply across the country because of high demand and inadequate supply. B.E.L. is urging customers to curtail their use of power. He noted that with the commissioning of the upgraded feeder at Mile Eight, power supply should be back to near normal this weekend. But until then, there will be numerous inconsistencies in the power supply.
Jose Moreno, General Manager, Distribution Services B.E.L.
“This evening is CFE curtails us again we will have to rotate some outages, we will have to affect some feeders given that the demand today is high as it was yesterday. Normally it happens at the tie that CFE goes through its peak. That happens between seven to ten o’clock at night. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we are doing an upgrade of the gas turbine at mile eight. With that upgrade we should be getting ten additional megawatts to the twenty that the unit was rated earlier. That unit is supposed to start commissioning by this weekend. We expect to have that unit online by early next week. The process of restoring the system is kind of complex. We have to make sure we match generation to the demand we have. Sometimes the generating units become unstable when you add new load. Some of them will go off, their protection takes them off because of frequency or voltage and it cascades the whole system and that is what happened this morning.”
Earlier in our newscast, we told you about convicted attorney Oscar Selgado’s court appearance. He is being represented by attorney Arthur Saldivar who lays blame for delays at the courts on the frequent power outages. According to Saldivar, far beyond the heat, the court system relies on recording abilities to proceed with cases, and the interruptions in power supply have been an inconvenience.
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“It’s very disturbing; it’s a matter of great concern. It should be a matter of great concern to every Belizean, especially the timing of these blackouts. During the day here at court, we are seeing where it’s inconveniencing the judiciary and the administration of justice. These matters have to be recorded, so it’s not a situation – it’s not a frivolous thing that is just the heat, but there’s a recording system that must be operational whenever these testimonies are given in mitigation and the submissions are made.”
Thousands from across the country converged on the National Agriculture and Trade Show Grounds over the weekend for the annual event in the Cayo District. There was a lot to see and do, and of course plenty to spend on. The weekend also included loads of entertainment for the grown folks and their families. One such event was the return of the dog show. The show was a featured attraction at the annual event about a decade ago. That is until it was discontinued even before the COVID-19 pandemic. But one dog lover at the Ministry of Agriculture decided to breathe new life into the event. News Five’s Paul Lopez was there. He filed the following report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Thousands showed up to the National Agriculture and Trade Show over the weekend in Belmopan. The annual event draws visitors looking for deals, good food, and entertainment. The two-day rodeo show is a huge attraction. Horse racing was featured for the first time this year. Another highlight of the weekend was the return of the Agric Dog Show. K9 enthusiasts gathered on the northern end of the grounds to show off their dogs and win some prizes. Omar Phillips, First Class Clerk at the Ministry of Agriculture, organized the event.
Omar Phillips
Omar Phillips, Coordinator, Agric Dog Show
“Personally I am an avid dog lover and I know there is a growing popularity for dogs in Belize City and the rest of the areas. So, it was just and idea threw out to the NATS committee and they liked the idea and ran with it, so I ended up coordinating this event.”
Day one was all about the bully showdown. Bully owners from across the country brought out their canine companions for the show. There were tents, water bowls and water hoses set up across the area to keep the dogs hydrated and cool under the heat of the day. We sought to find out more about the owners and their dogs, as well as the stigma that is attached to the bully breed.
Salvador Martinez
Salvador Martinez, Owner, CashMoney Kennel
“This dog I have is an American Bully, Standard Class.”
Paul Lopez
“He seems very photogenic, and this is his first time competing.”
Salvador Martinez
“He likes the camera.”
Paul Lopez
“How old is he?”
Salvador Martinez
“He is two years. He is Oso Martinez.”
Shawn Hyde
Shawn Hyde, Owner, CTV Kennel
“Mufasa is the name, he is and XL Bully.”
Paul Lopez
“What makes and XL bully, apart from the obvious size?”
Shawn Hyde
“Well you will have to go to the size, an XL bully comes from twenty-one to twenty-three inches, that is why they are XL.The smaller ones are different size underneath the XL.”
Paul Lopez
“When you see a dog like this you would think it is intimidating, but Mufasa is very friendly.”
Shawn Hyde
“He is very friendly because of the way he grew up. He grew up as a family pet.”
For Yuedy Swaso, breeding and caring for bullies is a way of life for him and his children.
Yuedy Swaso
Yuedy Swaso, Dog Owner
“This morning we bring out, King Kong, Gia and we got unique.”
Paul Lopez
“You have your kids with you.”
Yuedy Swaso
“Deh dah my supporters with me along this journey. They love this. This dah nuh just bout having dogs. Deh dah part of our family. Fih be real with yo, the temperament weh the dogs deh got dah wah big plus for me. Because everybody have this fear about pit bulls. And to be real with yo, the dogs deh humble, deh just look scary, but deh dah good dogs.”
Jose Espat
Jose Espat, Owner, RCK Kennel
“This dah Maximus, this is an xl American bully. This dah Hazel, this dah wah pocket Bully, and this dah Moca, also a pocket bully. When we do breeding we do selective breeding and it is never about the money, it is about the quality of the dogs, the characteristics of the dogs. A lot of people just breed to breed, but you have to understand that just like humans these dogs also have genes and there are defects that can come about so you have to really be careful how you match the dogs together.”
Shawn Hyde’s Mufasa was crowned the grand champion for the bully showdown. Yeudy Swaso and Jose Espat also walked away with prizes from other categories. Day two of the event saw dog owners bring out multiple breeds for the All-Breed Fun Show. Arthur Vellos brought out Leo, a Boerboel. Leo participated in the biggest dog and the best-groomed dog categories.
Arthur Vellos
Arthur Vellos, Dog Owner
“I just come support the show and show my breed of dog.”
Paul Lopez
“What category will Leo compete in today?”
Arthur Vellos
“Well they say large dog, but as you can see he is a one year old puppy, a hundred and sixty pound.”
Paul Lopez
“What is it like handling a dog like this, how challenging is it?”
Arthur Vellos
“He cool, everything dah how you handle a dog. Any dog could be bad, dah just how you raise them and take care of them you know.”
And then there is Fiji, the eleven-year-old poodle and his owner Camille Polanco. Fiji competed in the best-groomed dog category. He was also the only dog to participate in the most obedient dog category. Though he did not heed all the commands Polanco gave, Fiji was obedient to most and received treats as rewards.
Camille Polanco
Camille Polanco, Dog Owner
“My dog is already a senior, almost eleven years and we decided to enter for fun.”
Paul Lopez
“What has it been like having Figi for his lifetime?”
Camille Polanco
“The best thing ever. He is the best support, a lot of love, and it also taught me to be patient.”
Paul Lopez
“What do you think when you see all these dogs out here today?”
Camille Polanco
“It is amazing and it is also an opportunity for him to meet other dogs as well and just to come out and have fun.”
Trevlin Williams
Trevlin Williams, Dog Owner
“I have Biggie and Harley outside.”
Paul Lopez
“What breeds are they?”
Trevlin Williams
“The female is Napoleon Cane Corso with Pitbull and the male is a Napoleon Cane Corso. I bring them out because most people don’t know about my dogs and I the try show them I have a line that I the try keep strong, so I just bring them out mek people see them and get feedback about what they think about them.”
Tina, a Miniature Pinscher owned by Tanya Santos was Best in Show on Sunday. The event also included a category for the best pot licker dog that no one participated in. Recino’s Imports Limited is one of the main sponsors of the two-day event.
Jaime Recinos
Jaime Recinos, Recino’s Imports Limited
“We first spoke with Omar and he told us what he was doing and wanted to bring across. I said, we are one of the largest distributors of dog food in the country and I said definelty why not and I also wanted to promote my dog food which is Rambocan. Why Rambocan, because it is one of the highest protein dog food in the country.”
Omar Phillips, the organizer of the dog show, says next year’s events will be bigger and better. According to Phillips, four shows are being organized across the country leading up to the 2025 Agric Dog Show.
Omar Phillps
“The plan is to have at least four smaller shows leading up to this grand show. So after this show I am going to take one week rest and then I am going to plan the next show.”
Paul Lopez
“Is this like a moving show?”
Omar Phillps
“Yes, the next one is going to be down south and then we are going to the north, and then Cayo and the Belize City.”
