2025-03-25 - Channel 5 Belize

Man Found Drifting in Open Sea Was Trying to Get Home

Imagine a scene right out of the Life of Pi. The Belize Coast Guard recently rescued fifty-seven-year-old Carlos Pinto, who was adrift in the open sea. But here’s the twist—Pinto wasn’t in a lifeboat. Instead, he was floating on a makeshift raft, surrounded by buckets and bags filled with food and his personal belongings. This wasn’t some accidental mishap either. Pinto, a security guard on an island, had no other way to get home to Belize City. So, he set off on his improvised raft, determined to make the journey. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the full story.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Fifty-seven-year-old Carlos Pinto seemed to be in his own world of peace and quiet, drifting on a makeshift raft in the open sea when the Coast Guard patrol spotted him. With a hat and shades to shield himself from the sun, Pinto had two buckets, and two bags packed with food rations and his personal belongings. The Coast Guard was responding to a call from the port authority after a passerby saw Pinto from afar. Within just twenty-five minutes of that call, they found him.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“This was in the Blue Field Area, some seventeen miles south of Belize City, which we found very strange. Fortunately, we had a patrol in the area which deployed from Southern Light Caye. The patrol went into that area and found the gentleman that was drifting, and we brought him in towards Belize City. Our medics here at the headquarters checked him out did some vitals, we found him to be in fairly good health. His pressure was a bit high. We had difficulty identifying who the individual was.”

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett mentioned that Pinto seemed quite disoriented while being questioned. The Belize Coast Guard turned to Facebook for help, and it worked—Pinto’s family recognized him from the post. We caught up with his daughter, who shared that the family had been searching for him for three weeks. They eventually found out he was working as a security guard on an island. Without a cellphone, staying in touch was tough.

Voice of: Daughter of Carlos Pinto

“I know that the young man he was working for that employed him, he gave me a call right away and he said to me, he was working out there with him and he don’t know how he end up like that, because he was going to return to the island today. He had everything out there and goes out there every three to four days. So I guess at that point my dad was just tired of being out there so he decided to pack up his things and came home with that. I guess he was tired of waiting on the boss to bring him in and he just decided to pick himself up and left. But that is like any person if you are out and say ok by any means I will get home, that was his decision in doing what he did.”

Pinto’s daughter shared that her father was fed up with island life and just wanted to come home. Without a boat, he gathered all his belongings, hopped on a makeshift raft, and started drifting towards the coast. It’s hard to say exactly how long he was at sea or how far he drifted, but he was definitely far from home, lost in the open waters.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“We find it to be a very strange case. We have never found it where one person is drifting out at sea like that. We are very happy that we were able to locate him and rescue him before night set in. we don’t know what would have been the unfortunate situation that he would have encountered through the night, out there by himself drifting around. We were just happy that we were able to find him. He seemed quite contented on that raft little raft that he was onboard drifting out at sea.”

Pinto’s daughter assured us that he’s mentally sharp. When he was found, he was severely dehydrated and had high blood pressure. Despite these health concerns, his family is incredibly thankful that he was rescued and is now recuperating at home.

Voice of: Daughter of Carlos Pinto

“I was amazed, because how my dad was on that and nothing happened to him at the time. That is something small and he had two buckets and bags and with the wind and sea rough sometimes, who it never knock him off. It could have been worst. I am most appreciative of the coast guard because they never said, I heard he was giving a little bit of trouble to get assisted. But they worked with him and tried to bring him in at the moment. So I am very much appreciative.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

One Dead, Three Injured in Southern Highway Car Collision

A tragic accident on the Hummingbird Highway Monday night claimed the life of Michael Daniels, a twenty-six-year-old bartender and father of two young boys, ages six and four. Two of his friends, Benjamin Guerra and Caleb Umul were also injured in the crash. Daniels and his friends had just finished football practice in Saint Margaret’s Village and were heading home to Valley Community in his silver Mitsubishi. Employed at Caves Branch Resort, Daniels lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a culvert, suffering severe head and upper body injuries that led to his death at the scene. He and his wife, Paulina Daniels, were set to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary on Friday. Michael had a notable achievement in 2013, placing second in the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge intramural category with his brothers. His older brother, Kenrick, shared that the last time he saw Michael was about a month ago when Michael was planning a family reunion.

On the Phone: Kenrick Daniels, Brother of Deceased

“He wanted to do a family reunion, football game, and this was his idea to do that, our family reunion football game down in our village – Valley Community. It was me, him and my uncle and my dad that was talking about it. That was his intention to also bring the family closer together and speaking with my mom this morning My mother said that for the past week or two weeks, Michael had just been bringing her flowers from work and bringing her all different kinds of flowers. And then my mom told him that when she dies, he doesn’t need to bring any flowers because he already brought enough for her right now. And then my mom said not knowing that he was bringing them now because he wasn’t going to be there when my mom died. So, it was something sad when I heard my mom say that this morning.”

Corozal Fishermen Await Bail for Cocaine Possession

Six days after five fishermen and a pastor from Burrell Boom were allegedly caught in Orange Walk with one thousand, one hundred and thirty-seven grams of cocaine in a gold Dodge Caravan, the pastor has been released, but the fishermen are still behind bars. They’re waiting for another bail hearing, set for Friday, March twenty-eighth, 2025, and Monday, March thirty-first, 2025, in the High Court of Justice Nigel Pilgrim. The delay happened because the court didn’t have all the necessary documents to consider their bail. The fishermen have two separate attorneys. Senior Counsel Simeon Sampson represents Lerman Norman Leslie and Ronyer Alexander Cruz, while David McKoy represents Freddy Estuardo Chavez, Angel Aragon, Marvin Teul, and Christian and Merilyn White. Outside the courtroom, heartbroken families waited anxiously for good news, only to leave disappointed when the case was adjourned. Inside, Justice Pilgrim first heard from Attorney Sampson, who argued for Leslie’s bail. However, the judge couldn’t proceed without the case facts, which neither Sampson nor the Crown’s representative, Alifah Elrington, had. Elrington explained that the prosecutor handling the case was unavailable. Justice Pilgrim then heard from Attorney McKoy, who had the case facts but agreed that an adjournment was fair to ensure all parties had the necessary documents. The bail hearing for Leslie and Cruz is now set for Friday, March twenty-eighth, 2025, while the hearing for the other four fishermen is on Monday, March thirty-first, 2025, due to McKoy’s availability. The fishermen were initially arraigned on March nineteenth, 2025, for possession of the quantity of cocaine. The bust happened around seven p.m. in Orange Walk, with Pastor Mark Anthony Humes driving the gold Dodge Caravan. One fisherman later cleared Pastor Humes, stating he was just hired to transport them for one hundred and seventy-five dollars and had no knowledge of the drugs. As a result, charges against Humes were dropped on March twenty-first, 2025. The fishermen’s case will continue in the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court on May twenty-second, 2025.

Still No Bail for CitCo Employee Travis Flowers

Today, the bail application for Travis Flowers, a senior Belize City Council employee of seventeen years, was brought before the High Court of Justice Nigel Pilgrim. However, despite being properly lodged, the application couldn’t be heard. When the case, claim #118 of 2025, was called up as the eighth bail application on a list of over 12, Crown representative Alifah Elrington requested to be recused. She explained that she knows both the accused, Travis Flowers, and the alleged victim, Calvin Cumberbatch. Elrington asked for an adjournment until Friday, March 28, 2025, when the original prosecutor, Dercene Staine, would be available. Justice Pilgrim granted the adjournment, meaning Flowers’ bail application will be heard then. Flowers, who was denied bail and is currently remanded at the Belize Central Prison, appeared virtually from his cell. His attorney, Leeroy Banner, also appeared virtually. Banner submitted an affidavit on behalf of his client, stating that Flowers, who was charged on March 9, 2025, with attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, and dangerous harm, was arraigned on March 11, 2025, and denied bail. Flowers, a 45-year-old City Council Enforcement Officer with an unblemished record and no prior convictions, is the father of one daughter. Banner argued that Flowers should be granted bail due to special circumstances. According to the affidavit, Flowers claimed he was first attacked by Cumberbatch, who punched him in the face. A struggle ensued, during which Cumberbatch tried to take Flowers’ gun. The gun fell to the ground, and both men fought for it. Flowers managed to regain possession of the gun and, fearing for his life, shot Cumberbatch in self-defense.

Abandoned Building Erupts in Flames, Firefighters Concerned

All that’s left of the building that once stood at the corner of Castle and Victoria streets in Belize City is a pile of ash after an early morning fire. Authorities say the two-story wooden structure was abandoned and didn’t have electricity. Thankfully, the National Fire Service responded quickly and managed to contain the blaze. Belize District Station Officer Gladstone Bucknor reported that no injuries were observed, but the investigation is still ongoing. Here’s more on that.

Gladstone Bucknor, Station Officer, Belize District

“Approximately about five fifty this morning, the National Fire Service received call about a structural fire at the corner of Castle and Victoria Street when the guys did arrive both stations responded to that scene. They saw a large house fire. When large, I mean it’s a two-story structure, wooden structure in roofing. That building is an abandoned building and didn’t have electricity, let me make that clear. Didn’t have electricity at it, so the fire had to be started from inside and brought to the inside.”

Reporter

“What do you believe started the fire?”

Gladstone Bucknor

“At this moment we cannot see what actually started the fire, but however, some type of heat had to be introduced into the area.”

Reporter

“Do you believe that while it was abandoned there were maybe people, is there an evidence of people staying or doing something in there?”

Gladstone Bucknor

“Alright, from our preliminary investigation, what we discovered was that they do have squatters in and out of the building. And one main person that was frequently at this, at the house was somebody by the name of Harold. Name as full name and detail as there, we don’t know the full name. We have conflicting information that yes, he was there and no he wasn’t there. So we still looking into it. Actually, part of the investigation, we learned that some kind of heat was injured last night between nine and nine and eleven. So we’re still doing an investigation on.”

Reporter

“You wanted to speak about the issue of these abandoned lots and the, to the council, not, taking care of that.”

Gladstone Bucknor

“Yes. Within that area we have a lot of abandoned building. Some are neglected and used for criminal. And we have this abandoned building like this around the neighborhood. It pose a fire hazard to the rest of the community, especially to other buildings as well. Because anything do occur. Imagine somebody lost their building due to an abandoned building.”

10 Senators Appointed; Opposition Senators Appointment Outstanding

Tonight, there’s still no official word on the appointment of the three United Democratic Party senators. Over the past two weeks, the Government of Belize has appointed its six senators, and the church, NTUCB, NGO community, and business community have all made their selections. Here’s a summary of all the Senate appointments made so far and the ones we’re still waiting for. It’s been nearly two weeks since the March eleventh general elections, and the People’s United Party (PUP) along with the social partners have swiftly appointed ten senators to represent them in the Upper House. However, there are still a few spots that need to be filled.

The PUP appointed senators include:

Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay who is returning as the Lead Senator for Government Business
Christopher Coye is returning as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.
Linsford Castillo has acted as a temporary senator and now he assumes a permanent role in the Senate. Castillo is also the People’s United Party’s Secretary General.
Hector Guerra is an attorney-at-law described as a young and ambitious individual with strong leadership qualities.
Rosel Arana and Brittney Galvez are the latest women to join the ranks. They’re set to bring a powerful voice for women and youth to parliament.

On the side of the Social Partners:

The Church has appointed Louis Wade Jr. to take over from Moses Benguche. Wade, who owns Plus TV and serves as a pastor at an evangelical church in Belmopan, is stepping into this new role.
The NTUCB has reappointed Glenfield Denison as its senator
The Business Community has reaffirmed its trust in Kevin Herrera, who expressed his gratitude for the continued confidence placed in him

Meanwhile, Janelle Chanona is back as the 13th Senator representing the NGO community, following a second endorsement. One of her notable achievements in parliament includes chairing the recently concluded Senate Select Special Committee Inquiry into the Portico Definitive Agreement.

This brings the total number of appointed senators to ten. But why has the United Democratic Party delayed in announcing its three Senate representatives? Is there unrest brewing? Party Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton has assured that the names will be revealed as soon as they’re finalized. We’re awaiting the announcement of those appointments.

Is Chester Williams Eyeballing a Constituency in Stann Creek?

On Monday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams mentioned that he’s hoping to finalize the details of his new role as C.E.O. at the Ministry of Transport this week. However, Williams hinted that he has other ambitions. When asked if the potential creation of a new constituency in the rapidly growing Stann Creek district might tempt him to run for office, his response was a bit vague. Here’s what he had to say when the question came up.

Reporter

When the redistricting exercise happens, everyone agrees that there’ll be a new Stann Creek constituency, there has to be ten thousand voters. Do you see your ascension to a CEO post as a pathway to someday being a political candidate, perhaps in a new Stann Creek constituency?

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I cannot speak to what the intention of the Prime Minister to put me as the CEO, other than maybe that he wants to have someone there who is going to get things done and try to bring the ministry up to a certain level. But to answer your question, I do have aspirations, so if it is political aspirations or other aspirations, I won’t say it but I do have aspirations. You take that how you want and if or when that time comes, I will make my move.”

CCJ Hears GOB vs. LPG Companies

The Caribbean Court of Justice is currently tackling a constitutional dispute between the Government of Belize and four privately-owned liquified petroleum gas companies. The two-day hearing kicked off today with submissions from the appellants, including the Controller of Supplies, the Minister of Economic Development, and the Attorney General. They are contesting a Court of Appeal decision that ruled the Government of Belize violated the companies’ constitutional rights to work and property by blocking them from importing LPG into Belize. The gas companies involved—Gas Tomza Limited, Western Gas Company Limited, Southern Choice Butane Limited (Zeta Gas), and Belize Western Energy Limited—also filed a cross-appeal on grounds of freedom of association and equal treatment, which they initially failed to prove. Today’s session lasted six hours, with the appellants still presenting their case. Eamon Courtenay, one of the four attorneys representing the Government of Belize, was the first to make his submissions.

Eamon Courtenay, Attorney-At-Law

“We say very firmly that the Court of Appeal was wrong on section seventeen and section three, property issue and section fifteen the right to work. We say that it is clear that is was the intent of parliament to reform the LPG sector by introducing a new regulatory regime and we ask this court to give full faith and confidence to the declared intention by the Parliament. Your honors and you will hear this repeatedly, it was the intent of the government to liberate this sector from the Zaragoza brother oligopoly for reasons proven in evidence and it is critical for the court to appreciate that there is a reality on the ground that existed that caused insecurity on the ground in the supply of LPG to Belize, that caused transfer pricing in that sector, that caused questions about the quality of LPG sold to consumers and there are serious problems about smuggling. These are issues which the legislation sought to address.”

NGC Monopoly Necessary for Financial Sustainability of Project?

As you might remember, in 2021, the government amended the National Liquefied Petroleum Gas Project Act to let other companies import LPG. This change came after the act was initially passed under the former U.D.P. administration. However, the amendment required private companies wanting to import LPG to build an import facility with a storage capacity of one point five million U.S. gallons. CCJ Judge, Justice Peter Jamadar, sought clarity on why such a requirement was necessary. Here’s a snippet of the exchange between Justice Jamadar and Eamon Courtenay.

Eamon Courtenay, Attorney-At-Law

“The difficulty with two hundred and three hundred and a fifteen-thousand-gallon facility is that trucks come in everyday across the border. Everyday permits are applied for, and trucks are coming in over and over and over. One point five million dollars is essential for this project to be successful.”

Justice Peter Jamadar, CCJ Judge

“So the one point five was deemed sufficient to meet your security, supply, your cost analysis, what if a smaller operator said ok you are taking care of Belize, this is enough to meet your needs, I want to do a three hundred, that is adding on to your one point five, I want to be a smaller operator. Why is that problematic if you have already covered with your government?”

Eamon Courtenay, Attorney-At-Law

“One point five is not sufficient it is what will allow the project to work. The country is actually using in excess of fourteen million gallons.”

Justice Peter Jamadar

“So having additional facilities is desirable.”

Eamon Courtenay

“Fourteen million which is roughly one million per month, the need to go through the facility is one point one. If we say somebody can bring in three hundred then one point one will not go through the facility.”

Justice Peter Jamadar

“So you needed to create a monopoly get one point one to make that project a success and anybody who threatened that minimum threshold had to be excluded.”

We will continue to follow the hearing on Wednesday.

Sign Language Interpreters Scarce in Schools

Sign language is a visual language that uses hand shapes, facial expressions, gestures, and body language to communicate with people who have hearing impairments. Just like spoken languages, there are different types of sign languages, each with its own unique grammar and vocabulary. Unfortunately, sign language isn’t widely offered in Belizean schools. As we discovered for this week’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday, there are two main reasons for this: there aren’t enough qualified interpreters for the Ministry of Education to hire, and the salary for the job isn’t competitive with other professions. However, at Itz’at STEAM Academy and Stella Maris School, students have access to sign language, which helps them better understand their lessons. We saw firsthand just how impactful this is when we visited them today. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.

Malique Hutchinson, Student, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“I love my friends, my classmates, and I love my family.”

Marion Ali

“Isabella, when you finish school what would you like to be?”

Isabella Sanchez, Student, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“I think when I’m finished, I’d like to work in a restaurant.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

Malique Hutchinson and Isabella Sanchez are first form students at Itz’at STEAM Academy in Belize City. Both are hearing impaired, and had they not have a sign language interpreter present, they would have had a harder time grasping the concepts of their lessons. This is part of an education tool for students who need it at the secondary level. But the culture of having it has been lacking. Rose Williams has been a sign language interpreter for almost fifty-seven years, and she says it is necessary.

Rose Williams, Sign Language Interpreter

“Signing and doing interpreting is very important for them to get whatever is being said because they cannot hear and so they will not be getting whatever is being taught. So I need to get it, whatever the teacher is saying, and then I sign it to them so that they can understand.”

Sign language has been part of Stella Maris’ culture for decades. Teacher Sheree Salgado shared that this practice dates all the way back to the 1950s.

Sheree Salgado, Teacher, Stella Maris School

“This school started off with one student who was visually impaired. Back then, they didn’t know much about how to cater for him. So the sister at the time, she went to Jamaica and she came back with information of how to assist. And so, when the school actually started, it started off with three visually impaired students, one deaf student and a child who had meningitis and their classroom was downstairs of what we call the Sister Cecilia Home back then. And, you know, they used to house mentally challenged persons there. So that’s how it started, so from 1958.”

Beyond cultural considerations, sign language should be a tool available in all Belizean schools. Christy Almeida, Special Education Program Coordinator at the Ministry of Education, emphasized that a student’s inability to understand a lesson due to hearing impairment doesn’t reflect their intelligence.

Christy Almeida, Special Education Program Coordinator, MoE

“A child or a student who is deaf or hearing impaired does not necessarily mean that they have an intellectual impairment. There might be other issues, but for the most part, these kids should and could be supported in our inclusive setting.”

But as Almeida pointed out, there are two main issues: there aren’t enough qualified interpreters, and the salary offered for the position isn’t attractive enough for them.

Christy Almeida

“Finding interpreters that can provide the service for them so that they can interpret what the teacher is doing – there is a serious lack of interpreters of people with that sort of qualification. And it’s almost like a chicken and an egg because we have some people in the deaf community that can sign or that support those in the deaf community that can sign, but they will say “Well, how much am I going to get paid? Maybe I can get paid more if I go to a call center.”

In the classroom, sign language helps to close communication gaps, especially in exams.

Rose Williams

“I would read whatever the problem is and explain it to them so that they know what the problem is asking for, and then I leave it to them for them to work it out.”

Sheree Thurton-Gillett, the sign language interpreter at Stella Maris School, shared that keeping the younger students engaged can be quite a challenge. To capture their attention, she must get creative in the classroom.

Sheree Thurton-Gillett, Sign Language Interpreter, Stella Maris School

“I have to do some attractive visuals, first of all, even if it’s a letter. The letter “A” has to have an alligator behind it or an apple as well. And then the sign for “A” on the card along with the letter “A” and I would sign, this is “A”. I would point to letter “A” and I would show them this is “A” in sign language.”

Thirteen-year-old Jada Muschamp, who also has hearing impairment, relies on the sign language interpreter at Itz’at to help her understand her lessons better. Outside of school, she gets creative in finding ways to communicate with others, just like many people do.

Marion Ali

“You have your friends outside of school, how do you communicate with them?”

Jada Muchamp, Student, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“I communicate with them using my phone. Through my phone I can communicate with sign language.”

Marion Ali for News Five.