Cotton Tree Resident charged with Attempted Robbery and more…

Thirty-four year old Owen Parham, a resident of Cotton Tree Village, appeared before Magistrate Aretha Ford today in excruciating pain following an incident involving a police officer on Friday when an alleged drug deal went wrong.   Parham claims that he was shot when an alleged drug deal with Special Constable James Stuart went sour.  Parham said that he had agreed to meet with Stuart at a remote location in Lake Gardens where he would sell him a quantity of marijuana.  While at the meeting place Stuart reportedly shot Parham at close range before returning with several other officers.  Parham, a clothing salesman, was found in possession of a crowbar.  But Stuart’s version is that Parham was shot in the leg during a botched robbery in Lake Gardens. According to Stuart, Parham, who was allegedly equipped with a crowbar, attempted to rob him of his service weapon valued at one thousand, eight hundred dollars. In court today, Parham was charged with five counts, including attempted robbery, harm, aggravated assault, going equipped and resisting arrest. He was offered bail in the sum of six thousand dollars, which he failed to meet and is on remand at the Belize Central Prison until his next court date on December sixth.