Dennis Bodden to court for co-worker chopping

Dennis Bodden

Remanded for the holidays, that’s what Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford ordered when fifty-three-year-old Dennis Bodden appeared before her in Courtroom Number Two.  The sanitation worker, employed with the Belize City Council, was arraigned on three charges stemming from the brutal machete attack on Monday afternoon, during which his co-worker, forty-year-old Michael Tesecum, was chopped twice to the head.  At eleven o’clock this morning, Bodden was brought before the court in the presence of attorney Leeroy Banner where he was read charges of attempted murder, dangerous harm with a deadly weapon and use of deadly means of harm.  Prior to those charges being read, Bodden became tearful and suffered an emotional breakdown.  Due to the nature of the offenses bail was denied; however, Bodden was informed that he can apply for Supreme Court bail.  Until then, he has been placed on pretrial detention to March eighth, 2018.  On Monday afternoon, Bodden and Tesecum got into an altercation onboard a bus that was parked on Cairo Street. The sanitation workers were on their lunch break and inside the vehicle when Tesecum reportedly jumped over a seat, knocking a water pouch out of Bodden’s mouth.  Rather than apologizing, eyewitnesses say that Tesecum challenged Bodden.  A machete was brandished and Tesecum was struck twice in the head, resulting in life-threatening injuries.