Orange Walk man remanded following attempted rape

Some residents of the Otro Benque Area of Orange Walk are circulating a petition asking the police and Minister of National Security Jorge Espat to take action against two men they allege have been arrested for molesting a child and continue to harass female children in the area. The complaints seem to have begun in July following an incident in which a home in Trial Farm was broken into and a twelve year old girl was almost raped. But today, News Five has learned that only one of the accused, 19 year old Eduardo Coc has been charged with burglary with intent to rape and that he has been in police custody since the incident on July 7th. He pleaded not guilty but was remanded until his trial on the 25th of August. Police apparently do not believe the other youth, a sixteen year old minor was involved in the incident. Although his name appears on the petition and the residents claim he has been “arrested for molesting a child,” he was charged only for uttering threatening words to the girl’s mother on a subsequent occasion. He was fined 200 dollars, which he has two months to pay. The girl’s father, who reportedly went to the minor’s house and chopped a hole in the wall, was arrested and fined 800 dollars. The family told News Five they have moved the girl to another location because she is afraid.