On Friday we showed you the chaos at the Michael Finnegan Market when the Special Patrol Unit pounced on an avocado vendor. They roughed him up - all because they believed that he was selling contraband avocado's. Now, indeed, the San Victor Villager may have been, but there's no way to know for sure that his avocado's were contraband - and even if they were, there was no need to rough him up like that. That's what the outgoing commander of the Professional Standards Branch told us yesterday:...
Chester Williams, Deputy Commissioner of Police
"I did saw the video and I was disturbed by it. Whether or not the avocados were contraband, is not something I think the police were in a position to say. And for them to have done what they did in terms of taking the avocado - and eventually I saw them in a drain, destroyed - I think it was rather unprofessional. And as such, those officers must be dealt with and some effort must be made for them to compensate that young man for his products. In a situation like that, it could have been handled differently as well: if the police is trying to take the young man to the station, obviously there is nothing to suggest that he had committed a crime - so he was not compelled to go with them. In that same vain I also want to appeal to the public that whenever the police are executing their duties, try to exercise some degree of civility in the sense that try not to aggress the police or to be using profanity to the police officers. Yes I know at times you get frustrated, because of the situation, but we must always ensure that commonsense prevail at all times."
Reports are that a Belizean American has stepped up to wire money to the market vendor for the value of her avocados.
Man Drowns In Dangriga
A man's body was found in the North Riverside River, Dangriga this morning. On Saturday afternoon, 45 year old Brian Valerio attempted to swim across the river and at the mid-point he went under and did not resurface. A search party consisting of divers from the Fisheries Department, the Belize Coast Guard and members of the community conducted dive searches in the immediate area of the river but didn't find anything until this morning at 7:00. Police found his body on Why- Not Island next to the river.
More Guat Gold Panners In Chiquibul
The Friends For Conservation and Development say that they caught 3 Guatemalans panning for gold inside the Chiquibul.
On Saturday, at around 3:30 p.m., a joint law enforcement team, which included FCD rangers and BDF soldiers, were out on patrol in the Ceibo Chico area in Southern Chiquibul.
That's when they spotted 3 men panning for gold in the river, some 6.5 kilometers inside the Chiquibul National Park.
As soon as the lawmen came close enough, one of the men spotted them and ran away. The enforcement team were able to detain 2 of the men, who were later identified as 24 year-old Isais Tux Makin and 16 year-old Elio Tux Makin, both of Monte Los Olivos, Peten, Guatemala.
The officers searched both men, and they were each found with a plastic vial containing gold. Searching the immediate area, the law men also found shovels, plastic basins and iron bars, as well as a black bag with marijuana.
The men were escorted to the San Ignacio Police, where they were handed over to be charged by the relevant regulatory agencies.
PSE Day One - What The Kids Are Saying
Even though this weekend was a mess with all the violence, well over 7,000 Standard 6 students all over Belize got up today thinking about the future, ready to sit their first day of the PSE. After the long day of test taking was done we made asked some of the students on how it all went.
https://youtu.be/
Day two of the PSE will take place on May 4th.
Fantasy Five Winner Is Happy, But On A Low Profile
A San Ignacio man is 345 thousand dollars richer after getting very lucky and winning the Fantasy 5.
No, it wasn't any lucky group of numbers that he picked…He simply went to a shop in Belmopan, bought a quick pick, and hoped for the best.
On Saturday's Fantasy 5 lottery draw, those numbers, 24, 20, 13, 5, and 2 played, and now, he's got to figure out how he'll spend all those winnings.
Asking to appear off camera, he told us about his stroke of great fortune:
After taxes are deducted, Avila will take home just over $290,000.
ASP Cowo Makes Heartfelt Plea For Peace
ASP Alejandro Cowo is on the news twice weekly for the police press briefing. But, today was slightly different. He opened up - not by reading form the police report - but with a heartfelt plea for peace. Cowo worked long hours this weekend responding to murder, after murder, and shooting after shooting. He told us that the community has to come together:..
Chester Wants Special Investigation For Outrageous Crimes
And one of the first things Cowo will have to do under his new boss Deputy Compol Chester Williams is form a special investigative team to look into the murder of Bernadine Lauriano - who was killed because gunmen couldn't find her son. He told us more:…
Man Shoots Three In PG, Thinking He Saw A Raccoon
A man and two minors were shot in Punta Gorda, because a farmer thought he saw a raccoon. It happened last night in the New Road of Punta Gorda, when Santo Cucul, 57 years, was going to his corn field and saw a pair of eyes in the bushes alongside the creek which he thought was a raccoon. He fired his 16 gauge shotgun and, instead, hit 44 year old Raphael Choj Sr, 12 year old Raphael Choj Jr, and 14 year old Ernesto Choj.
All three person were transported to the PG Hospital were Raphael Jr and Ernesto was treated and released while Raphael Sr is admitted for observation.
Big Pistol Found In City
This evening in the Northside of the city - police found a high power pistol. At around 4:45, police searched an abandoned lot in Belama Phase 4 and round a .357 revolver with five rounds of ammunition under a tyre. No one was in the area, so the items were labelled as found property.
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