7 News Belize

Belize’s Most Wanted Caught in Isabella Bank After Heinous Crimes
posted (January 13, 2020)
Tonight we start the news with the story that has gripped the nation. Three children brutally assaulted, and one of them killed, allegedly by their step-father.

And the ripples of disgust and anger only spread throughout the weekend as the tragedy sat heavy on every shoulder and united the country in the conviction that causing such harm to children was both unforgivable and unfathomable.

A lot of the energy was fueled by the Commissioner of police's desperation to capture him. And after an all out community effort, he was caught on Sunday.

That search culminated on at midday in the neighborhood known as the jungle - which is home to Lovely Lane, where the crime occurred.

Jules Vasquez was in the middle of it - and he tells us what did and didn't happen:

Police Commissioner Chester Williams sent out this message at midday. And, within minutes, police were pushing through Pickstock street on their way to lovely lane.

We saw BDF and police officer, heavily armed. They were very suspicious of this locked building, and the soldiers had their guns on the ready. But they decided against breaking it open.

While they seemed cautious here, within a minute, they were charging at full speed down Pickstock Street. Someone shouted that they had seen Kenrick Longsworth darting through an alley in the jungle.

Residents say he had been seen - but when police did not come back with anything,

This large group exploded in anger that had been festering since the Commissioner made that post accusing residents of the impoverished area of harboring him:

Jules Vasquez:
"But he's hiding in the jungle?"

Crowd
"We don't know. How would we know we told them where he was? What is Chester taking about the police are afraid of the F----ing man."

"Our children are very jeopardized they can't sleep at night because of him, we really want them to get him, we really want them to find him."

"Everytime the come bang down your door and jeopardize your children. We want him to be found."

Jules Vasquez:
"So you all know the area where do you think he is?"

Crowd
"How will we know? The man is Tarzan right now he's...We're tired of them through here, we're tired of them. They need to find him."

And, according to the Commissioner of police by that time - they already knew where he was - and all this police activity in the jungle was a decoy:

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"And we know for a fact that there were persons from within the hutment area that were feeding the suspect with information as it relates to the police operations effort. And so we did a diversion tactic to concentrate our efforts within the hutment while we knew exactly where we knew he was."

"In today's era when everybody have one of this (cellphone). I can assure you if the suspect had outran the police they would have had it one of these (cellphone) and they would give it to you so you can have field day with it. Nobody outran the police - whatever happened in the hutment area was staged with a view to make us achieve what we wanted to achieve in rural Belize."

"Mr. Vasquez was there, if they suspect had outran the police, Mr. Vasquez would have caught it on his camera as well, because he was ready on the go, exercising."

Jules Vasquez
"Just to be clear, when the officers on Pickstock Street a hundred feet from the corner with Lovely Lane there was a scream in Lovely Lane and then the officers bolted heading towards Freetown Road. It was your saying "a false alarm?"."

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"Yeah, we wanted you to run."

So while those cops - and, yes, me, were chasing a ghost. The real action was happening almost 30 miles away in the Belize River Valley, Isabella bank, where the suspect was hiding out.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"With that he was flushed out and he ran, he started to run from the police - there was a civilian doing some farm work in the immediate area and so when he ran from the police, the civilian was able to apprehend him and then handed him over to the police. He was there from Saturday night. We knew what we did and we operated with precision. I must commend the officers who went to the area and did the pick up, those who were in pursuit to ensure that everything was followed to a T, that nobody lift not even a finger on the individual to make sure that he was brought in, in one piece as we found him."

Police said they wanted to find him quickly for Longsworth's own safety.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"We didn't want that John Public find him before us because then the result would have been different. We all were listening to what people were saying as to what they want to do with him, if he is caught by them and we have to ensure that the rule of law prevails."

And Williams is confident that the law will also see him convicted of murder:

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"We believe that we do have sufficient evidence to be able to charge and convict him when the time comes for trial."

But, the angry residents of the jungle say that Williams has played judge and jury in their case - by alleging in this Facebook post that the neighborhood was harboring him:

Jules Vasquez
"You have heard of the very strident calls in the jungle for an apology from you because they say you have painted the pink jungle black by alleging that they are harboring someone who they would not even share a breathe with, somebody that has outraged them more than they have outraged the rest of the community. Do you have an apology for the people of the jungle?"

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"I do not see the need for an apology. The police did nothing wrong. We simply did what we ought to have done to get the person in custody and I saw the video with the lady who seemingly is outraged and that is how she feels. I take no qualms over that. We work will continue to ensure that we take this case to where we want it to go."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, but it's your words, you said to the people of the jungle, I believe we have been patient enough giving you, the opportunity to hand over the fugitive. I'm saying that you have implicated everyone in there by your words."

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"For sure, there were persons in the area who aided him. You think the man get to Isabella Bank on his own, getting out of the jungle area? No, there were persons who aided him and there was persons from there who was informing him as to what was taking place on the grouds, so dont let them play that they are all innocent. Some of them were indeed involved."

Jules Vasquez
"Yes, but not all of them are guilty either."

Chester Williams, Commissioner of police
"Well Jules, when you apologize I will apologize, because you said both of us need to."

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