Coast Guard Officer Slapped with Criminal Charges

Shakeem Richards

Twenty-four-year-old Coast Guard Officer Shakeem Richards was unable to meet bail this afternoon after he was arraigned in Belize City on two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of threatening words. Bail was set at two thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount. Richards was unable to meet bail due to the time. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges. A video of him in a scuffle with two police officers at Long Island Nightclub in Belize City has been seen by thousands of social media users.  Richards was represented by attorney John Nembhard, who told the court that his client is being maliciously prosecuted. Outside the courtroom, Richards’ mother, Agnes Thompson, said her son is being treated unfairly.

Agnes Thompson

Agnes Thompson, Mother of Shakeem Richards

“The short time I get to talk to my son, he said it’s not just what the media is showing. He said he paid to get into the establishment and he was refused. And he wanted to know what’s the reason why he couldn’t have entered the establishment. And the two, one of the police just bombard him and drag him up in his shirt and be disrespectful, not knowing what type of person they’re dealing with. They didn’t even realize that it was an officer or a colleague. until the whole thing get out of proportion. It’s been a load. It is tedious, it’s stressful. You know, they, they apparently posted a bail and I guess I don’t know who in the authority, like, be just be want to be different or just be demeaning and the pressure my son and they decide that they will take him to the higher court. But then what about the officer that assaulted my son? He was provoked. I am not justifying anything because you have to call a spade a spade. Yes, my son might be wrong to manhandle the police, but he was manhandled as well. He was hit. The video didn’t show that he got hit, but the person who produced the video saw him got hit and he retaliated. You know, and after this, all according, the person said my son had a brief talk with the police and they apologized. So I don’t know what the problem is.”