Escaped Jaguar Still Prowling, Expert Urges Caution

Tonight, the captive jaguar that escaped in south-western Belize is still on the loose – and 7news has learned that traps have not been deployed yet. The cat is a two to three year old female and the Chief Forest Officer could not tell us exactly when it escaped. But our information says it could be as many as six days ago.
This afternoon, Belize’s foremost Jaguar expert Omar Figueroa went to the area in Ringtail Village at mile 40 on the Hummingbird Highway in the Cayo District. Before leaving he discussed the case with us very generally, because at this point, he is just being brought into the picture.
Figueroa who has trapped Jaguars extensively throughout Central Belize said that female jaguars in the wild are far more aggressive than male cats. He said the risk is that this jaguar – which has been in captivity since she was a cub - can’t hunt and sees humans a source of food. He said he hopes that the cat is staying close to her home area, because if she has started to move out further, that would be “a worst case scenario.” In the wild, female cats have a home range of over 120 square kilometers. Again, Figueroa had no direct knowledge of the specifics of the case, since he was just brought into the picture this afternoon. He says he has to orient himself to what’s been happening in the area since the cat escaped before he can make a decision to lay any traps.

As we reported, the cat was a pet – permitted by the Forestry Department – of the Pollack Family in the area of Ringtale Village. It escaped some days ago – but no one can tell us with certainty how many days – though, best information, pouts the escape at sometime last weekend. Figueroa warns that if the cat hasn’t eaten since then, it might be even more dangerous.

Another Outrage In Vega-ville? DPM’s Nephew Got Paid But Never Paved

Tonight there is another allegation of what has all appearances of fleecing of the public purse, coming out of Orange Walk. This time it involves a relative of the Deputy Prime Minister – who’s also a road builder. The allegation is that Imer Hernandez got paid almost two hundred thousand dollars for a road, which hasn’t been paved. Daniel Ortiz went looking for answers today:..

Daniel Ortiz reporting
The San Antonio Road, which ties Orange Walk town with the villages in the western Sections of the Orange Walk District is a very important roadway.

Hon. John Briceno - Area Rep., Orange Walk Central
"The San Antonio Road borders both constituencies, the Orange Walk Central and the Orange Walk east but it is important to note that the San Antionio Road is a the responsibility of Central Government and the Ministry of Works."

Joel Cervantes - Resident, San Antonio Road
"This is a public road - it is one of the main arteries to all the villages going down to the south of Orange Walk. This is traveled everyday by students, people that come to work, commute to go to Belize City and all over."

There are 2 signs which depict the pleas and the desperation of the area residents to develop it. They say that successive Government Administrations have been negligent.

Norma Carrillo - Resident, San Antonio Road
"I don't know if it's improvement but what they have done is take off the balance of the asphalt that they had and then they started to measure the road and wet it a bit and put some dirt and when the rain came they took it off again and after elections everyone left. I don't know what happened."

Joel Cervantes
"Really and truly to improve it - it hasn't happened. Before we used to have some asphalt on it then little by little they went on grading it and grading it and then they put in some white marl then eventually the entire asphalt was graded off - then we only have white marl and dust. Improvements hasn't been done, ever."

Catalina Azueta - Resident, San Antonio Road
"For as long as I live here in this area no one has ever paid attention to the San Antonio road. We have had the two different parties in power and nobody even cares. The only time they come around here is when they want our votes, besides that San Antonio road is forgotten."

So, imagine their surprise when they learnt that in February of 2012, Imer Hernandez Development Company, was supposedly paid almost $200,000 for a series of 10 contracts listed as #475 to #484.

The value of each contract is less than $20,000 dollars, possibly, as we are told, to not be red-flagged. Any value under that amount can be authorized by senior ranks of the Ministry of Works. Anything over that is scrutinized by the Ministry of Finance.

The problem is no one can remember any works done on the road which would give them that type of value.

Hon. John Briceno
"The people were shocked here in Orange Walk town, myself included - we were floored when we found out that another $179,000 was paid to the very same company just about two weeks before the general elections and that was paid to by the Ministry of Works. I think it is a slap in the face to these residents and to the Belizean people."

Joel Cervantes
"The dust is unbearable and like at my house we cannot open the windows - you live locked up really and truly. If you don't do that then you'll get sick, we have other families and buildings on our side that really can't do better so what do they do? If they open there windows the dust is unbearable, recently what they did they put these bumps here, it might lessen the speeding of the traffic but really and truly done anything."

Norma Carrillo
"The worst it has been it has been from last year when they took off the asphalt that was the worst because the dust that is getting to everyone, not only me. I think I am the one who complains the most because I have my vegetable shop but if you go to any neighbor or any persons this side and ask them and they will tell you what the reality is living this side."

Catalina Azueta
"This place is like living in hell because everyday we have to keep cleaning and cleaning - all day we have to clean. This road the town council sometimes comes in the morning to wet it but since the weather is hot the only you live by everyday is dust."

Ruth Azueta - Resident, San Antonio Road
"We cannot open our houses, it's usually very dusty."

At this moment, these documents that we have in our possession need to be authenticated, but if they are found to be true, then it represents public fleecing and a betrayal of the trust of these people along the San Antonio Road. Norma Carrillo
"And if the money they are saying and if they have the proof that you have that papers that this is paid for already then I think they suppose to get to those persons because that isn't joke. They don't live on this side - they live in 'hi-tech' house and they have AC, they are not feeling what we're feeling this side."

Joel Cervantes
"From the monies paid definitely nothing can be showed that has been paid out."

Ruth Azueta
"Well if that is true I would really be disappointed, of course."

Hon. John Briceno
"I'm calling on Central Government, I'm calling on the Prime Minister that he needs to launch an investigation as to what happened, why is it that even Hernandez Development Company collected almost $229,000 plus dollars for the work on the San Antonio Road for work that was not done. The question is and the people need to know this. Who is the owner of Hernandez Development Company? Imer Hernandez Development Company is owned by Imer Hernandez who is the nephew of the deputy Prime Minister. Now we know that the Prime Minister has a special relation with the deputy Prime Minister and he goes to all lengths to defend the deputy Prime Minister. Now I want to see if the Prime Minister is prepared and willing to call off an investigation because he is the one that has said that he will not tolerate not even a whiff or a smell of corruption in his government."

This evening we reached the Engineer, Graciano Medina, whose name has shown up on all our documents as the oversight authority who certified that they works were done. He told us that he was unable to comment, and that we should contact the CEO in the Ministry of Works.

We then contacted the Ministry of Works in Belmopan, and we were told that the CEO was in office, but he was not the person in charge of those contracts. We were then directed to another public officer who was not available for comment today.

Late this evening, we contacted Imer Hernandez, the contractor who the allegations are against. He told us that he was never paid anything over $50,000 dollars, which is in relation to a contract he got from the Orange Walk Town Council. According to him, he has proof of all the work he did on that contract.

He told us that he was awarded an additional contract for $300,000 which was later cancelled, and he never received any payment for that.

He also promised that he would avail himself for a follow up interview next week, where he would provide his proof of value of the work he did.

On Thursday KHMH Will Assess Blame

By the middle of next week, the KHMH Board of Governors is expected to pinpoint who – if anyone - is accountable for the dozen baby deaths in the pediatric intensive care unit. It was announced today that a press conference will be held next Thursday to give those answers to the public.
That’s what came out of a meeting this morning convened by the Prime Minister, who returned to Belize yesterday. PM Barrow met with the Chairman, Chandra Nisbet Cansino and some members of the Board including the CEO in the Ministry of Health, Peter Allen.
An official release says that The Prime Minister was updated on the progress of the investigation. The statement adds that “The PM has committed to assist with any interim arrangements to outsource urgent neonatal cases to private hospitals while the KHMH Unit is being made completely safe by remodeling, expansion and replacement of equipment.”

Next week’s press conference is also expected to include a start date for the new KHMH wing that will house the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which the Government is now committing to help finance.

American Retiree Victim of Sandhill Home Invasion

A 78 year old American retiree was the victim of a home invasion in Sandhill on Wednesday night. Around 7:00, 45 year old Brian Emmanuel was visiting Albert David Reich at his mile 20 home in Sandhill. When Emmanuel left, three Hispanic men held him up – one of them had a gun, and the other two had knives. They took him back to the house where they clubbed him across the head and told him to shout for Reich.

Today, Reich told us what happened when he opened the door:…

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"I was just about to go home when I saw a person was hailing the man so I turned back to hail him but when I heard the person calling the man by his name. As he opened the door I was stepping up to his verandah at that same time and at that same time a man came from the back and slapped me on the side of my head with a gun and pushed me inside of the man's house with him."

Daniel Ortiz
"What did they do and what did they want?"

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"The man asked where the money was and where the chest was."

Daniel Ortiz
"What exactly happened when they cornered you and the gentleman?"

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"They tied me up right away and they put me down on my belly and told me to stay and that if I moved I would be dead. They asked the man for the money and if they didn't get it they said they would have killed both of us in there."

Daniel Ortiz
"Did the man give them the money?"

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"The man told them where he had some money and they took that and after that they started to aggravate the old man."

Daniel Ortiz
"Did they beat the man?"

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"They kicked the man on his side."

Daniel Ortiz
"Why did they do that, they had already gotten the money?"

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"Those men are crazy, they just come so that they can take away people's things just like that."

Daniel Ortiz
"What type of gentleman is your boss? Is he nice? Explain to us how he handles his employees and people around him."

Voice of: Aggravated Burglary Victim
"Anybody that works for this man knows that this man is a good man and he handles everyone good. When he is coming from California, that is where he lives, he brings anything you want and when he gets here he doesn't charge you for it."

The assailants managed to escape with almost $7,000. Police have detained one man and investigations continue.

Charged for Murder Three Months Later

Viewers may remember 38 year-old Ernest Savery, the prison officer who was murdered on February 22, 2013. Well tonight, 24 year-old John Lorencio Martinez, a resident of Corozal, is at prison after he was taken to court on the charge of murder.
As we reported, Savery was gunned down at around 10:00 p.m., in the night just a stone’s throw from his home in Ladyville. He was walking out of his gate when his girlfriend tried to warn him that a gunman was attacking.
Savery reportedly saw two young men walked up to him and one pulled out a firearm. He rushed towards the man pulling out the gun. They struggled for the gun, but he was fatally shot once in the stomach.

Police investigated for 3 months, and they eventually charged Martinez with his murder. He was arraigned this afternoon before the Chief Magistrate who remanded him to prison until June 24.

“GSU Knocked Out My Teeth!”

A young man named Brandon Tillett is missing a front tooth tonight – after he claims the GSU knocked it out yesterday. Tillett works on South Creek doing road works but yesterday he was courting a female in the area. Her boyfriend allegedly claimed that Tillett threatened the young lady – and that’s when the police came in.

Without the benefit of his front tooth, Tillett told us what happened next.

Brandon Tillett - Teeth knocked out by GSU
"I saw a young lady and I was courting her and couple minutes after I saw the GSU rode passed us and they were looking for someone but I didn't think it was me. Then I saw they stopped by where I was and all my workmen were with me because I control my worksite then they took me and told me I was wanted for a robbery. I asked them how I will be wanted for a robbery and I haven't done anything then the man handcuffed me then the other man told him 'don't do him anything here, wait until we reach at our site at Queen St.’ As I reached at Queen St. the man just grabbed my head and stoned my head against the cement wall and kicked me on the ground and the other three of them grabbed me and stoned me on the ground and stamped my face. I noticed my tooth was broken and after that I saw this and I felt unconscious because I felt knocked out. They were teasing me and taking my picture and trying to destroy evidence. They took advantage of me. They tore out the medical form and they told me that they would have let me go but I shouldn't tell anyone anything about what happened. The men in the office were laughing at me and taking picture of my tooth."

Glenda Williams - Alleges GSU Abuse
"I don't know what is justice now, what will come out of this because his tooth needs to be fixed. The youths around here are trying to make ends meet and now the beast is coming out of them. All the police do is beat up the youths around here for no reason. I want to know what will be the outcome for my son to get back his tooth because his mom isn't working and I want to see how my son will go back to his jobsite to continue working."

Daniel Ortiz
"What are you going to do, do you plan to sue them?"

Brandon Tillett
"I don't want to sue anybody I just want them to give me money so that I can fix my tooth because I'm not into this and I can't get any girlfriend like this too."

We asked the commander of the GSU for comment today, but he did not reply.

Seine Byte Village Councilor Alleges Police Mistreatment

Tonight, a village councilor from Seine Byte Village is alleging that police have taken charge of her property without explanation. Police have their own story, and we’ll get to that, but first to Laverne Arzu.

She was just elected to the village council on a UDP slate, but has a grievance going back some months – when she alleges that police took her pickup without authority. She came all the way to Belize City to get her grievance heard in the media today.

Laverne Arzu - Villager Councilor, Seine Byte
"They didn't come to ask me for who the vehicle belong to, they just came and roughed up my son and beat my son and took away my vehicle - they jumped into my vehicle because it was on March 1st they took it away and I had some documents in there with $500 in there to license, insure and transfer it the same day."

Jules Vasquez
"But on what grounds did they take your vehicle? What explanation did they give you?"

Laverne Arzu
"They didn't give me any explanations all that they did was they told my brother that the vehicle was for him, that is mine - personal because my name is on it and I bought it."

Jules Vasquez
"Are they alleging that the vehicle is used in the drug trade?"

Laverne Arzu
"No they have not said that they suspect me of money laundering. I can't understand why it's money laundering because they can't go by heresay they have to go with what they can prove. They didn't find me with any drugs, with no money they haven't found me with anything."

Jules Vasquez
"Have you received any sort of receipt or paper saying 'we're holding your vehilce and at a certain point you can reclaim it'?

Laverne Arzu
"They didn't even tell me that."

Jules Vasquez
"No, you must have gotten a paper or something."

Laverne Arzu
"There is a God above, I didn't get not one paper not even a person came to tell me the reason why they are holding my vehicle, nor nothing."

Jules Vasquez
"What would you like to see happen m'am?"

Laverne Arzu
"Well I've been to a lot of people and I've talked to the Minsiter of National Security already and I've talked to Internal Affairs already. Mr. Flowers himself, I went to him and nobody has gotten back to me so I called 'Fawda' and I went to his house so he can try to help me."

Phillip 'Fawda' Henry - Advocate
"So I decided to go down to the station and ask to speak to Mr. Flowers, when he came on the verandah he was without shirt and right there and then the young police officer knows me because my son is a police officer in Dangriga, so he stood up and said 'Good afternoon sir'. Mr. Flowers started to say the 'F' word, the 'get out of my village word' and 'i don't know you - you are a crazy black man' and 'you're an illiterate, look at how you look'. I asked him if he was aware who he was speaking to and when I told him my name he seemed like he doesn't watch the news often. I told him I was there to check about Ms. Arzu's vehicle and that was when he told me he had nothing to say to me."

Jules Vasquez
"Now ma'm you're a recently elected UDP Village Councilor - you mean you can't get any help from the various UDP's you're in contact with?"

Laverne Arzu
"Well like I told you, I've spoken to Mr. Saldivar - he only told me he would get back to me and I haven't gotten an answer. 'Mr. Saldivar I want you to know that I want an answer' because this is over four months if I am suspected of anything then why haven't I been investigated so that I know what is happening because they are keeping me back from everything. My vehicle is my life and everything."

Jules Vasquez
"How many vehicles have been taken from Seine Byte residents?"

Laverne Arzu
"They've taken away about six to seven vehicle. Not only vehicle they have even taken away people's windows from their houses, machines that they use to go fishing to make a life for themselves. They want us to go and steal and if we steal they will still lock us up. Now we are buying our stuff to make our own business and they are still taking it away from us. Where do they want to see us? Dead?!"

As always, there are two sides to every story. We spoke to a very composed Inspector Mark Flowers who said there is nothing irregular about the seizures of vehicles or other property. He says police were tasked to confiscate the items by the Financial Intelligence Unit which is investigating the sudden and conspicuous wealth of a number of persons in Seine Byte village. He says the FIU is reviewing a number of suspicious transactions and under that agency’s authority, the vehicles continue to be held at Ministry Headquarters in Belmopan.

As for Phillip “Fawda” Henry, Flowers says he did treat him brusquely and drive him away but that’s because he says “Fawda” was posing as a journalist from Channel 7 News, which he is not.

UB Responds To Charges

Eight days ago, The University of Belize came under fire from one of its own professors and some of its students. They held a press conference to say that the University was gouging its bachelor’s degree students, first, by not accepting transfer credits, and, second, by charging bachelor’s students more for the same courses, which associates degree students take for less.
Today the University released a considered response, and it offers no apologies. The statement says the transfer of credits is based on a “review of course outlines by…course content experts to ensure a minimum of 80%...alignment with the UB syllabus. In cases a course outline does not meet the 80% benchmark, then it is not accepted.
The University has committed to digitizing credit transfer process and “if individuals can cite specific cases of inconsistencies in credit transfers, the matter will be investigated on an individual basis.”
And about the different grades in charges for courses, the university says that has been the police and it hasn’t changed in many years.

The release says UB quote, “applauds its students for their willingness to raise these issues.”

Budding Belizean Biologists

Over the years, we’ve told you about the reef audits, comprehensive reviews of the condition of the reef. But we’ve only seen the finished product, today we found out how it’s done by field biologists. Today we spoke to a group of them before they headed out to Sergeant’s Caye for coral reef monitoring under the umbrella of the healthy reefs initiative:

Dr. Melanie McField - Marine Biologist
"The point for us is that we do the report card of the health of the reef every other year and we use the data collected by our partner organizations including NGO's and Fisheries Department and the University of Belize. So those are the groups that are here that are doing the training."

Jani Salazar - ERI. UB Research Field Technician
"We do a lot of monitoring out at Turneffe Atol, so me coming here and getting this training is so that I can go back to my organization and help share this knowledge with the people that I work with so that we can go back and do the monitoring, this kind of monitoring at Turneffe. It's been really interesting and again educational because the methodology isn't one that we've done before so to learn new strategies and new means and implementing these monitoring projects - it's been really good. From what I've been seeing it looks healthy and they have a lot of fish and a lot of herbivorous fish that the reef needs."

Henry Brown - Fisheries, Marine Biologist - Bacalar Chico
"For me it gives me an opening of an eye in the sense of knowing which algae is most dominant in the reef itself and knowing what there actual take on the reef is."

There are 13 trainees in total and they worked all this week.

GSU Catches Two Hot Weapons

Earlier this week, you saw Roy Bennett complain about GSU harassment. Well, today the GSU sent out a release saying they searched an empty lot adjacent to his home on Gill Street where they found a very hot black Taurus 9mm pistol loaded with a magazine containing 10 live rounds.
A black plastic bag was also found next to the pistol containing fifteen live 9mm rounds.
No one was in the area and it was labeled as “Found Property”. According to police, the firearm found is believed to have been placed at the area by one of the key members of the Gill Street Gang. An investigation was conducted where it was discovered that the firearm is a service firearm and is part of the Belize Police Department, Belize City inventory.
Additional information indicates that the firearm was recently used in a murder incident that occurred in the area. Investigations continue.

And on Tuesday afternoon GSU officers conducted another search in an open lot located on Justice Street in Belize City. The search led to the discovery of a black plastic bag containing a blue rag. Wrapped up inside the rag was a silver.38 Special Revolver Smith and Wesson brand, loaded with 5.38 special rounds. No one was in the area at the time so the firearm and ammunition were labeled as “Found Property”. Investigations have revealed that the .38 revolver is the property of a US Citizen who resides in the Corozal District who reported it stolen. Further investigations continue.

FFB Needs Cash For Gold Cup

The 2013 Gold Cup is drawing ever nearer, and the Belize National Team will make football history when it participates and plays against powerhouses such as the US, Costa Rica and Cuba in some of the finest football stadiums in North America.
And while that is the end goal, getting there is another thing completely. The problem is that the Football Federation of Belize is in need of hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet all the expenses for the trip to the US.

And so they’re taking a page out of the book from the Special Envoy for Women and Children: they’ve planned a football telethon. Today, the President of the FFB told us why you should support the team:

Ruperto Vicente - President, FFB "We apologize for not having it earlier because of the logistics and we're also including international partners in this telethon so it's not only here in Belize that this is going to happen. It's going to happen at the same time in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York as well."

Daniel Ortiz "The second inspiration telethon is also in the works, it supposed to happen before yours. Do you believe that the Belizean people will still support the way that they can because they will also support the cancer as well."

Ruperto Vicente "Certainly these are two separate events and I'm sure Belizeans are still in support of our national team so this is going to represent us, we're going to represent Belize abroad and so we need their support. We're asking specifically now that Belizeans continue to support our national team and continue support the effort we're doing with our national team players. We've got to have the funds in order for our players to feel comfortable and for them to represent us well. There is a cab that we are trying to reach and it is $500,000bzd - we believe it is achievable and we can do it and we're asking every Belizean to contribute $1 - we have 350,000 people in Belize and will that we'll be able to reach our goal for gold cup and to take care of our national team players."

The Telethon is on June 15th.

Groundbreaking In Time For Village Council Elections

Village council elections are in full swing and that has a lot to do with why you’re seeing a hubbub of political activity in various villages. Today it was Crooked Tree – where they’ve been without a police station for years. But village council elections are on Sunday, so what better time for a groundbreaking for a new station? And while it is electioneering, it’s also for the public good, which is one thing the aspiring and outgoing Chairmen could agree on.

George Guest - Outgoing Crooked Tree Village Chairman
"It's to build a new police station which Crooked Tree has been waiting for for the last six years, I've been rigorously liaising with the police."

Reporter "As a resident, a villager of this - how happy are you?"

Steve Perriot - Aspiring Crooked Tree Village Chairman "Well I would jump for joy but the camera wouldn't be able to catch me"

Darrell Tillet - Aspiring Crooked Tree Village Chairman "I mean it's like it's a million dollars because we've been waiting for this for a long time."

Hon. Edmund Castro - Area Rep - Belize Rural North "The people of Crooked Tree has been without a police station for well over ten years. There has not been a building in this spot for over six years. So this is something that we need, we're not a high crime area - we are a very nice village but we would want to keep it that way. Crime isn't rampant in Crooked Tree. Someone would steal your cashew seed or plantain before they steal your chain saw or your car."

Reporter "What was being done in the absence of a Police Station all these years?"

George Guest "Well we used to have Corporal Gillet that worked out of his house and he just got really fed up with it because they weren't really entertaining him. They had to arrest people and they had to keep them here over night in his own house and that wasn't really what policing was all about."

Reporter "What difference would this police station make?"

Darrel Tillet "A lot of difference because now we won't have to call Ladyville or Belize if we have a problem here."

Hon. Edmund Castro "This building will commence immediately so I would say within six week or 3 months maximum we should have a brand new police station for the villagers of Crooked Tree."

The station and police residence will cost 270 thousand dollars.

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