Suspect arrested in police burglary
They have come under increasing pressure for incompetence, brutality and corruption, but today the Police Department recovered at least a few square centimeters of lost public relations ground. News 5’s Jose Sanchez reports from Belmopan.
Jose Sanchez
“For the past few months police were unable to crack the two cases of stolen ammunition and high powered weapons from the National Police Training Academy and the Belmopan Police Department. But since last week’s break-in at the Dragon Unit’s Exhibit Room, the police were finally able to apprehend a suspect.”
Twenty-four year old Valentine Casey, an out of work plumber of Santa Elena was charged today for burglary and going equipped for a crime. While police believe they have their man, Casey says he’s just the fall guy.
Valentine Casey, Arrested of Burglary
“I just have something to tell you. Those police, due to the fact that I used to work for them for one to three months, they are trying to find a scapegoat because they can’t find the police that is doing all of this stupidness, so they are trying to plant evidence on me. But when I go and make the judge know all the things they did to me, torture me, what all they made me feel to make my finger prints be on things, but Jah is up there… Shocking up me.”
Jose Sanchez
“So you are saying that you had nothing to do with the burglary?”
Valentine Casey
“Nothing to do with this burglary, It’s just because I haven’t been around working for a long time. They need a scapegoat to blame all of this injustice. All of this corruption that the police is doing.”
Jose Sanchez
“Do you have an alibi?”
Valentine Casey
“I definitely have an alibi. I have a strong alibi. I don’t have to tell a lie. Lots of people saw me.”
Valentine’s Girlfriend
“Even the ombudsman says it’s a setup.”
Though Casey maintains his innocence, investigators believe that he climbed up the eaves on the second floor of the Belmopan Police Headquarters and made his way across the attic and broke into the Dragon Unit’s exhibit room. Not only do they have a suspect in custody, but over the weekend the police also retrieved a steel cutter, five handguns including two .357, one .380, one .38, one .32 as well as ammunition.
Sr. Superintendent Bernard Lino, C.I.B.
“The five weapons were from the exhibit room of the Dragon Unit here at force headquarters.”
Jose Sanchez
“These weapons that were stolen, where were they recovered?”
Bernard Lino
“They were recovered within Belmopan on Saturday.”
Jose Sanchez
“What lead you to the discovery of the weapons?”
Bernard Lino
“Well since the burglary we have been conducting a massive investigation and as a result these were able to be located on Saturday.”
Jose Sanchez
“Do you believe you have a strong case?”
Bernard Lino
“We are confident with what we have is a very good case. The investigation so far with what we have we are confident that the person arrested will be convicted.”
Reporting for News 5, Jose Sanchez.
Police have not linked Casey to either of the two previous thefts from the department in Belmopan, but say that investigations continue. Casey has been denied bail and remanded to Hattieville until April seventeenth.
