Cop says altercation caused miscarriage but doctors call it abortion
Vanessa Williams
KIMANI CARD
Closing arguments in a trial involving a female cop concluded with high drama today before Magistrate Aretha Ford. It’s a sensational case because of the unusual evidence presented, which put the alleged victim on the hot seat. On June fifth, 2009, the female sergeant claimed she was assaulted at the Princess Hotel and Casino by a teacher and her two cousins. The assault she charged had allegedly caused her to suffer a miscarriage. That was the findings of one doctor after an examination was done following the incident. This morning, however, the tables turned and Arthur Saldivar, attorney for the accused teacher, Kimani Card, stunned the court when he presented the results of three tests done on Sergeant Araceli Petillo, a court prosecutor. According to Saldivar, Doctor Rigo Montejo assessed Petillo on June fifth when she complained of pain and bleeding and he concluded that there were signs of an abortion. The following day, another doctor found signs of an incomplete abortion. There was a third examination done by Dr. Jose Guerra which revealed that on May third, the cop was examined and she was found to be suffering from side effects of the procedure. With this Saldivar made a no case submission since the evidence before the court did not substantiate the charge. He argued that when the altercation happened, Petillo already had an abortion so the teacher could have not committed the crime of grievous harm upon the sergeant. Card and her cousin, Belizean American, Vanessa Williams were also charged with obstructing a police officer in the line of duty and damage to property for allegedly damaging the Sergeants uniform during an altercation at Club Next when Williams’ brother was refused entry because he did not have a ticket. Card and Williams intervened, were detained and taken to the Queen Street Police Station. Petillo claimed that the women resisted going into the station; kicking and fighting her. She also alleges that she was bitten during the altercation. A ruling is expected to be delivered in June.
First of all, the medical term for a miscarriage, whether intentional or unintentional, is “abortion”. Irritation from external force such as trauma to abdomen and fall are some of the most common reasons of a “spontaneous abortion”. The bruit force itself can induce small tears to the placenta, which is very small at beginning of pregnancy, and this compromise the blood supply of oxygen and nutrients to the baby. If the mother goes through more stress or physcial activities afterwards, then the chances of the abortion to carry through is even higher.
About 50% of the cases can still make it to term, but in this case the unfortunate lady more than likely endured not only physical stress but also mental from such incident. If she would have rest and such incident did not occur, she still has 50% chance of having her baby.
Yeah. The frustration and stress of living the Belizean life seem to be getting to everyone of late. The so-call victim is now probably ashamed to show her face to the public for the lies she told, now everyone knows she is a baby killer.
I am taking a stance on abortion…………………………………………
If you don’t want kids use a darn condom.
Where is her photo?
Oh do, Isn’t abortion illegal in belize city, that sergeant petillo needs to be criminally for her act and the female should a bust her …. all kind thing they make sergeant these days way the world the come to.
again. show that the police can do any thing and get off,and we’ll see how long it takes for her to be charged
Can you clarify if abortion is illegal in Belize.
Somebody, please help the people of belize from Police Officers like sergeant petillo. Imagine she done the act n want to put the blame on somebody else. Shame on you. what else will you not lie about.
@ Maddyvandijk and Baby D I myself am a born Belizean living away from home and againts abortions but did you guys read carefully what the the Dr response was for THE Word “Abortion “. “the medical term for a miscarriage, whether intentional or unintentional, is “abortion”. and Again I repeAt THE MEDICAL TERM FOR MISCARRIAGE WEITHER IT WAS INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL IS ” ABORTION” sO BEFORE WE JUDGE WE SHOULD GET ALL THE FACTS. HE OR SHE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE.:)
as belizeans we should stop listen to hear say an get the FACTS! the propper term for any miscarriage is ABORTION!however there are some ignorant people, those of which we cant blame because they don’ know any better so we leave them to think whatever they want. the people who knows better will have a better take on the issue. stop being so judging and GET THE FACTS!
TO DOCTOR & FINIA, SO FAR YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE TERM ABORTION MEANS, the rest of you need to read and understand even SALDIVAR. Petillo had an ABORTION not because she went to the doctor and wanted to get rid of her baby, but because of the stress that was caused to her by those FOOLS. READ AND UNDERSTAND BEFORE RUNNING TO JUDGEMENT.
Miscarriage medical term is ABORTION, there is also a Medical Procedure call ABORTION, from what I understand she was having effects of the PROCEDURE.
“””There was a third examination done by Dr. Jose Guerra which revealed that on May third, the cop was examined and she was found to be suffering from side effects of the procedure””
Now we see why the crime rate is so high in our little JEWEL……. Seems not even the Police Officers understand the LAW of the Land, how can our mere civilians get it right? I read the news from Home as often as I can and frankly these are really some stupid moves to be call news. Anyone reading these kind of stories from Belize will wonder if we are a civilized nation. Please come on people.
Hmm,what u did in the dark came to light girl! Damn…..busted!
AS AN EDUCATED BELIZEAN, I AM ASHAMED OF THE IGNORANCE OF SO MANY OF MY PEOPLE. YOU REACT AND RESPONSE WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE. YOUR IGNORANCE MAKES YOU OVERLY EMOTIONAL AND ALL YOUR ACTIONS BECOME HATEFUL AND NEGATIVE. LEARN TO BECOME CRITICAL THINKERS; STOP RESPONDING TO SENSATIONAL NEWSBITES THAT PLAY TO YOUR IGNORANCE. WOMEN, STOP FIGHTING FOR MEN THAT DON’T WANT YOU AND STOP ACTING IN SUCH A WAY THAT SHOWS YOUR IGNORANCE. YES, SOME COPS ARE BAD. THAT’S THE SAME EVERYWHERE, BUT I ALWAYS SAY YOU CAN’T HATE ALL COPS. WHEN ONE OF THE IGNORANT PEOPLE OUT THERE TRY TO HURT YOU, YOU HAVE NO PROBLEMS SCREAMING FOR THE COPS HELP. WAKE UP PEOPLE. YOU HAVE CREATED THIS SOCIETY. FIX IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. STOP BEING A VICTIM OF YOUR HATEFUL, IGNORANT, BACKWARD THINKING.
@Bev: Your frustration is evident and I somewhat agree with you about our sometimes mindless response to sound bite sensationalism, BUT, unless you have been sleeping these last few years or just choose to continue placing your head in the sand, you will have noticed that we have a problem with our Police. While I agree that NOT every Policewo/man is bad, as I have met a number good men and women in uniform, you should apply some of your much vaunted critical thinking to the facts about what has been happening with our Police force. The picture is scary once one allows the effects of the red pill to settle in; some of us prefer to continue popping the Blue pills choosing to leave the responsibility of clearing things up to someone else. A question? How do you propose we “FIX IT”? I suspect you may have no stomach for the reality of what has to be done. Yes, I too will be calling those Policemen if I need help because I have faith that at least a small number of them truly care about their people and country and would come to help me. Respect to our honest brothers and Sisters in uniform. Integrity and Fidelity. Oh and a small point on courtesy; all CAPS for the entire message can be misconstrued as RUDE. Remember my fellow Belizeans, the next time it could be you!
KANDID, STOP TRYING TO FIX PEOPLE – POLICEMEN, CRIMINALS, ETC. CHANGE THE LAWS, WRITE NEW ONES AND MAKE THE PEOPLE FOLLOW THEM. THIS GOES FOR ALL BELIZEANS INCLUDING THE POLITICIANS. BELIZEANS HAVE SHORT-TERM MEMORY AND THEY FORGIVE EASILY. WE REACT EMOTIONALLY IN THE MOMENT AND THEN ALL IS FORGOTTEN. THEY ONLY ONES WHO DON’T FORGET BEING WRONGED ARE THE CRIMINALS THEMSELVES. THE LAW MY FRIEND IS WHAT IS NOT BEING ENFORCED IN THIS COUNTRY. LET’S TRAIN SOME PEOPLE IN FORENSIC SCIENCE SO THAT NO ONE WILL HAVE TO ENDANGER HIM OR HERSELF BY TESTIFYING AND THE POLICE WILL BE ABLE TO SOLVE MORE CRIMES AND GAIN CONVICTIONS. ALL POLICEMENT AND OTHERS WHO ARE SWORN TO UPHOLD THE LAW SHOULD BE PROSECUTED TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW. IT’S ALL ABOUT PUTTING TEETH IN THE LAW. LET START ENFORCING THE LAWS THAT ARE ALREADY ON THE THE BOOKS. BY THE WAY, THE CAPS ARE NOT MEANT TO INSULT. REMEMBER, IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CAPS; IT’S ABOUT THE IDEAS.
well you listen Sasha you need to get your facts straight as well, i was there that night and nothing happened the way petillo said it did and if she knew she was pregnant why the hell is she out there at a night club being a bouncer she needed to bounce her … home….and to think that Vanessa came in for her dads funeral and wanted some stress free time and this … happened. GET THE FACTS.
All those CAPS HURT MY EYES! Please Bev, if you want to communicate your ideas on the forum, please use sentence or title case.
Isn’t this better?
Kandid, stop trying to fix people – policemen, criminals, etc. Change the laws, write new ones and make the people follow them. This goes for all belizeans including the politicians. Belizeans have short-term memory and they forgive easily. We react emotionally in the moment and then all is forgotten. They only ones who don’t forget being wronged are the criminals themselves. The law my friend is what is not being enforced in this country. Let’s train some people in forensic science so that no one will have to endanger him or herself by testifying and the police will be able to solve more crimes and gain convictions. All policement and others who are sworn to uphold the law should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It’s all about putting teeth in the law. Let start enforcing the laws that are already on the the books. By the way, the caps are not meant to insult. Remember, it’s not about the caps; it’s about the ideas.
We All Need God In Our Life!!!!
Make sure u r living ur life free from all evil b4 u judge anyone
Finia you need to go back and read that news over carefully and comprehend it.
When i voice my opinion it is not just like that, it is because i know the individual personally and know what she is capable of doing . There is 2 report from the doctors one for may 5th and one for may 3rd from Dr. Guerra u shouldn’t get hype up about everything u read.
Tension; i totally agree with u .
Nurse say;
YOU ALL PEOPLE ACT LIKE YOU ARE NOT UNDERSTANDING THE TERM MISCARRIAGE OR ABORTION. IF YOU DON’T YOU ALL SHOULD LOOK IT UP IN A MEDICAL DICTIONARY.
@VisualAnalyst:Thanks ;).
@Bev: I appreciate that you have taken time to respond.
>> “Change the laws….Make people follow them….all Belizeans including the Politicians” > We Already have most of the required laws -ITs Enforcement fairly, equally and with Justice that we now Lack. It’s good that you mention the Politicians because here in lays the crux of problem. Who gets the Politicians to Behave and enforce accountability? When the top is rotten and act with impunity and lack of discipline, integrity and fidelity there must be a Peaceful way to reign them in. Here now you may have stumbled onto something interesting. A new RECALL law.
There is enough precedent from which to draw for the creation of a SIMPLE fair version of the RECALL LAW for ourselves. I would make this law apply to ALL Politicians at ALL levels of government and the MOST Senior Police officer/s; maybe the military could be obligated, in this ONE instance, to ensure the will of the people if the Politicians and Police fail to respect the accept the recall.
A real issue here is that in our small country everyone in any Government organization relies on the Politician for their survival and job progression and what you find is that when there is any dissent or , heaven forbid, healthy disagreement the culprit is blackballed to the detriment of their livelihood. The impact of this patronage type system is that only the sycophants usually progress and we get what we got. We the people need a way to trigger a legally binding and enforceable recall action on all those whom assume themselves about the law.
In all these discussions we all skirt around the issue of what to do in our situation. If Peaceful methods don’t work then the only option available to the people is to forcibly enforce change; the aim of any such action should be immediate fair elections and creation of a new government etc. A well implemented recall law could limit the need for this type of citizen action.
>> “Train people in Forensic science so that no one…..” The underlying theme here is training or the perceived lack of it in our Police. Forensics are one among many areas; how about non-violent Interview techniques (Which preserve evidence/confessions), and plain old respect for the public. We recently saw 3 Killers from San Andres Corozal go free because the mother said her son/killer was beaten by the Police when he confessed. I agree, but fundamentally our Police Force lack Role Models, discipline, Professionalism, Cohesion, Fitness, Sense of Duty, Integrity, Fidelity (to the Belizean People),training and support (Recent Budget example) among other things. The laidback, unfocused and disinterested approach to Policing and community care would largely undermine the full realization of benefits from training program. We need a whole revamping and professionalization of the Policing culture.
A few things we can do: (a) DNA Test everyone who is involved with serious crime; maybe all criminals. (b) start zero tolerance Policing; being serious about the smallest infractions sometimes implies seriousness about the big ones as the NYPD. (c) Death Penalty or Life in prison without the possibility of Parole as the only two options available for anyone responsible for the murder of any witness/Jury/Judge/Magistrate when done in relation to a case. (d) Allow witnesses to have their identities protected (anonymous testify) as long verified by a Judge. This one needs care and a process to minimize abuse and miscarriages of Justice.
Anyway this post is already way tooo long. Yes it is about IDEAS and Thanks for yours. Remember my Fellow Belizeans next time it could be you!!
did anyone notice the case isn’t over yet, the judge hasn’t made a decision or a ruling. i think we need to wait a bit, eventhough we all have our opinions on what should be the outcome.
Just another prove that we no longer value life in the Jewel.One more murderer walking the streets of Belize.
Excuse me guys, why is this case so important? Why was the court’s time wasted with something that should have been thrown out the minute this bogus accusation was made? If only a miscarriage was so easy!
I don’t think Ms. Petillo had an abortion intentionally. She experienced “threatened abortion” because of the fight, which began with bleeding and abdominal pain, and this was the time she was first examined. Like I mentioned before, SPONTANEOUS abortion occurs after these accident has 50/50 chance of either miscarry or make it through. Unfortunately, her baby did not make it. The miscarriage carried through, and it would start with passage of the fetus along with cord and placenta. Most of the time, the process is not complete, which is termed “incompelete abortion”, and most patients (as they would go to OBGYN publicly or privately) would require the procedure call Dilation and Curettage (D&C). Without the procedure, any woman, and I mean any and every, would inevitably continue to bleed in attempt to expel the remains. It’s a natural process, and without D&C, the patient would die from bleeding. So therefore, she had it.
Rarely, abortion in Belize is done illegally. But the story you would hear is usually patient with bleeding that won’t stop and have passed the fetus. If Petillo had it done intentionally, then the first doctor’s visit at KHMH (Dr. Montejo) would detect such process and she wouldn’t even be at Princess.
Don’t be fooled by the wording.
I am deeply troubled by these false accusation on my sister whom I endured her pain with while her one and only son slip through the morning away from her and is now resting in the arms of our Almighty Saviour. As I had mentioned before I was with her and she suffered deeply. She is still traumatized by such an act. The objective of these two accused was not only to kill her unborn child but also to injure a police officer as well in the process. Let the news get the facts. The earthly sins of these two individuals will haunt them for life. They are guilty sinners. Like how the doctors have mentioned our Belizean people are ignorant to the term abortion they are accustom to the term miscarriage which is not a medical term that is used in medical studies. Let these two criminals go to jail and justice will be served. My sister let God be their judge.