Accused con man turns out to be woman

It began as a typical case of theft but tonight investigators in Belmopan say a strange sexual twist has left them scratching their heads. According to police, this person, identified as twenty-eight year old Polan Santos, was arrested and charged with theft after a young woman, Santos’s roommate, claimed that he had racked up as much as five thousand dollars in charges on her credit card and then refused to pay. That was Monday, January third. Santos spent the week in Belmopan lockdown until two good Samaritans bailed him out on Friday. He even spent the weekend at one of their homes. But on Monday, Santos attempted to flee the jurisdiction by boarding an American Airlines flight bound for Dallas Texas. The duped Samartitans, got wind of the plan and reported Santos’s intentions to the authorities. Officers were dispatched from the Ladyville Police Station to the P.G.I.A. and in the departure lounge, Santos was detained for attempting to jump bail by leaving the country. But while in police custody, a startling discovery was made. Polan Santos, the man charged with theft, the man locked down with male prisoners for days, the man who had registered as a medical student at St. Luke’s University, the Phillipino native who had become a naturalized American was…a woman. The U.S. passport Santos presented to immigration authorities had a first name of Lenora. It turns out that Santos had been born a woman, but for some time had dressed and acted like a man, and had even undergone half of the surgical procedures it would take to become a full fledged male…the top half. On the grounds of ensuring the safety of Santos and that of the other prisoners, a female officer was compelled to conduct a strip search of Santos, and that’s when she confirmed that a key part of the male anatomy was missing. Since then, Leonara Santos has been detained with the female prisoners. News 5 understands Santos’s Belmopan bailers have since withdrawn their money, which means that she will be remanded to Hattieville prison until her court date of April ninteenth to answer to the charge of theft. Santos had retained the services of attorney Michael Peyrefitte however we now understand that Peyrefitte has recused himself from the case. This afternoon, Santos was represented by attorney Wilfred Elrington on the additional charge of forfeiting bail. Today, a check at St. Luke’s University in Camolote revealed that while Santos had registered as a medical student there, he…she had only attended classes for part of one semester in 2004 and was dismissed for disciplinary reasons. Sources tell News 5 that since Santos’s arrest, they have received other reports against him…her involving missing money from other students through online shopping and more charges are expected to be file within the week. Up until the arrest, Santos had been staying at various addresses in Belmopan.