7 News Belize

Luis Wade Charged For Assaulting Montero’s Son
posted (May 19, 2017)
And while the media was being assaulted and threatened on Wednesday in the Senate at the same time, one of Belize's most well known media personalities, was being criminally charged in Cayo - he says for doing his job. PLUS TV's Luis Wade was charged for assault and indecent language - almost 6 months after he'd had an encounter with works Minister Rene Montero's son, Robert at the Santa Elena Sports Complex. Wade was there reporting on a story, and says he was almost run over by Montero who was trying to get him to stop capturing the ongoing work. Of course, there are two sides to every story, and police concluded that Montero was the victim and Wade, the aggressor. Today when he want to san Ignacio Magistrate's Court, we asked him all about it:

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
You see him every morning on his Rise and Shine Show on Plus TV.

He is also known as a vocal activist - leading protests like his "I want my country back" movement.

But this morning instead of him rallying and leading his supporters through the streets, he was led out of the San Ignacio Magistrates Court after he was arraigned on charges of common assault and using insulting words - charges he says he is falsely accused of.

Luis Wade, Charged for Common Assault, Using Insulting Language
"Everything is totally fabricated, I will stand by that until the day I die."

The incident happened on November 23rd 2016. Wade was out getting footage at the Santa Elena Sports Complex. He was following up on a report that the Ministry of Works was using tax payers money to finish a private contractors work. But - allegedly - the Ministry didn't like Wade snooping around and Works Minister Rene Montero's son Robert Montero son showed up while Wade was getting footage of the Complex and allegedly charged at him with his vehicle.

Luis Wade, Charged for Common Assault, Using Insulting Language
"I was almost finished shooting my video and pictures when out of the corner of my eye a red pickup truck which most Cayo people recognize as belonging to one Robert Montero came directly at me at very high velocity because I was simply doing my job as a journalist. I jumped out of the way, he reversed his vehicle at me, I jumped, this man was trying to run me over with his red pickup truck. When he saw that I was not ..I was..that I was still there, he saw I was still there, he got out of driver's seat and came around his vehicle and came to me."

But according to Wade, the story was completely flipped. 3 days after the incident Robert Montero reported to police it is Wade who assaulted him. Wade made his report against Montero one day after Montero's was made.

Luis Wade, Charged for Common Assault, Using Insulting Language
"He beat me to the police and a person who assaulted me made a report to the police that he was assaulted."

"Now how could any police investigator, OC prosecutor, could come up in a scenario like that where I am already on the scene, a person appears on the scene, comes fast brings his vehicle, tries to block me and how can any police officer, investigator, officer in charge of any department come to a conclusion that a person who was standing up was assaulting a person who is in a motor vehicle that appeared on the scene."

"Mr. Montero came out of his vehicle at me shouting ..which will..words which will appear in the court..I..."

Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"And in no way did you respond or aggress him?"

Luis Wade, Charged for Common Assault, Using Insulting Language
"Mr. Montero did not come closer than 6 feet to me, not closer nor did I tell him one word?"

Wade says the police department didn't bother interviewing the witnesses or following up on his side of the story. It is only until this Wednesday that police called him into the station to get video evidence of the incident from Wade. But he later found out that the officers just wanted to slap him with the 2 charges.

Luis Wade, Charged for Common Assault, Using Insulting Language
"When I came in that Wednesday, coming into to bring the evidence as the OC said little did I know that my charges were already written up and sitting there on the file."

"The police have not looked at my case yet, yes the actual complaint has not been looked at yet, I want the OC to tell us why he has not brought in Robert Montero and charged him for assault."

But his attorney Stacey Grinage is fighting for him and hopes the prosecution will seriously take her submissions into consideration regarding Wade's case.

Stacey Grinage, Attorney
"We made certain preliminary objections, one of those objections or challenges that we raised was that the delay, the delay and the time within which the prosecution took to initiate and commence these proceedings was long and we said that delay amounted to an abuse of process and I made submissions and I relied on authority and presented that to the court, the magistrate heard both sides and he decided he will reserve his decision and he gave both sides an opportunity to submit further written submissions and so the matter has been adjourned sine dei until the magistrate comes to a decision on that preliminary challenge which we have made."

But while the court processes continues, Pastor Wade has to carry the burden of these charges as his cross, but he is also weakened by the hardships he believes Belizean journalists endure.

Luis Wade, Charged for Common Assault, Using Insulting Language
"Journalists are seen as bottom of the barrel and I'm proud for the time I am sharing, just a time I am sharing with journalists, I am proud to stand alongside media in this country for fruit and freedom, I am proud to go through what I am going through for the media and for my nation."

And with that Wade descended the stairs of the San Ignacio Police Station into the warm and welcoming crowd waiting outside - a crowd who eagerly joined him with arms stretched toward the station in prayer.

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