The Meighan Family on Banak Street: they've been in the news countless times - for all those times when their home was shot up and for those many times when police arrest the Meighan Brothers. Indeed, they are targeted - it seems almost non-stop - by law enforcement and the outlaws.
And tonight, the entire family, mother, sons and daughter are in jail, remanded after the GSU claims to have found two rounds of live 9mm ammunition in their home. We say - "claims to have found" - because the Meighan family says those bullets were planted. They told us that the GSU conducted a search on their house just yesterday and found nothing. And then, they returned early this morning just after 4am and came up with the two bullets inside a barrel in one of the bedrooms.
But the GSU claims differently. First off, they flatly deny searching the house yesterday - but concede that some other police unit may have searched it. Nonetheless, the GSU did their own search this morning acting on their own information, which is when they made the find.
Normally, it would end there, as just another, they said/the cops said story. But, determined to prove beyond any doubt that the bullets were not planted - the GSU today provided us with video of the search - and it is telling, because you can plainly hear the head of the household Shelly Meighan expressing shock at the discovery of the bullets, and later telling her son Ellis that she is the one who let the police in - meaning they didn't break down the door. We pick up the video when the Barrel is being searched:
Shelly Meighan
"Oh my God, where did those come from? Oh my gosh!"
Ellis Meighan
"Let's my dump it."
Shelly Meighan
"I never brought those in my house, 2 bullets is in here."
Ellis Meighan
"Mom, 2 bullets is in here."
ELlis Meighan
"No bullet is in this house."
Shelly Meighan
"Boy, I'm telling you that 2 bullet is in here."
Ellis Meigahn
"No bullet is in our house."
Shelly Meighan
"To God, 2 bullets are in this barrel."
Ellis Meighan
"No bullet is in this house, GSU just came to search, did you forget?"
Shelly Meighan
"No."
Ellis Meighan
"They came yesterday to search, they shuck out this whole barrel."
Shelly Meighan
"I am telling you 2 bullets are in there."
Ellis Meighan
"They shuck out this whole barrel yesterday, did you forget?"
Shelly Meighan
"He will get it right now. Every time he shakes the barrell, I hear something drop."
Ellis Meighan
"Mom, no bullet is in here."
Shelly Meighan
"Are you sure it is a bullet? Maybe it is something else. How will you put a bullet in a barrel?"
Ellis Meighan
"That's not a bullet, mom, you forget they came to search here yesterday?"
Shelly Meighan
"I am not saying that, you will see the bullet right now."
Shaquille Meighan
"That is not a bullet."
Ellis Meighan
"No bullet is in there."
Shelly Meighan
"I swear to God, it's a bullet."
Ellis Meighan
"Mom did you see the bullet then?"
Shelly Meighan
"Yes I saw them just now."
Ellis Meighan
"No bullet is in our house."
Shelly Meighan
"Yes, see them there, see one, and see another one there."
Ellis Meighan
"Where? I want to see them."
Shaquille Meighan
"But they just came to search our house yesterday."
Ellis Meighan
"They just empty this barrel, and that other one over there."
Shaquille Meighan
"And those are brand new."
Shelly Meighan
"New brand bullet."
Ellis Meighan
"They put those in there, call Monica Bodden right away and tell Monica and my friend. They came to search here yesterday and didn't find anything in here. So who is the stupid one, are we stupid? Call back Brackett number and tell him the same unit that he sent yesterday, let him send them back right away. They search in here; did you forget they search in here?"
Police Officer
"I found 2 bullets in the barrel."
Shelly Meighan
"What kind of bullet are those?"
Police Officer
"2 Aguila 9mm rounds."
Ellie Meighan
"Those are not from in here, mom."
Police Officer
"At this time I will place all of you under arrest, the occupants of this house. I have already cautioned you but I will caution you again. You do not have to say anything."
Shelly Meighan
"I just took sheets out of that barrel."
Shaquille Meighan
"He put it in there, that Spanish put it in here."
Shelly Meighan
"I never saw him put anything in there; I will not lie on him. When he pulled the sheet I heard something fell down, and I just took sheet out of that barrel."
Ellis Meighan
"He put that in there."
The GSU also provided video taken after the discovery when Ellis Meighan was making wild threats and had nothing nice to say to police.
Commander of the GSU Marco Vidal says, quote, "the allegation that those two rounds were planted by GSU officers is preposterous." He adds that "It is expected that Meighan would want to put forward a defence and in this type of case, possible defences are limited, either you didn't know of its existence or police put it there. He has opted to go with the latter…however, we will let the recording speak for itself."
And while that plays out on the media level - in the court today, it was another matter.
This afternoon the entire family was at court, but what it comes down to is that, unless some member of the household owns up to possession, they all remain remanded - which is mandatory.
The family of four, who were all unrepresented appeared before the Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer in Court #2 this evening after 3:00 p.m., where they were read a single charge of keeping unlicensed ammunition.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charge and due to the nature of the offense, the Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer explained to them that at this time, she could not grant them bail. Ellis Meighan Jr., his Mother Shelly Meighan, his sister Shanique Meighan, and his 17 year-old brother were all remanded to the Belize Central Prison until April 17.
The Meighan family strongly believes that Police are determined to take Elis Meighan Jr off the streets and keep him locked up on remand by any means.
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