Did Child Predator Offer Noodles for Sex With Underage Boys?

Kenrick Bowman

Kenrick Bowman, who is a sex offender registered in San Diego, U.S.A. is in police detention tonight and it is expected that he will charged for allegations of sexually abusing a young boy on Saturday night in Belize City. He came to Belize two years ago and has been living in the Police Street Extension area in Lake Independence. The incident for which he is detained is disturbing. But indications that he may have molested more than a dozen very young boys in the past two years are sickening and mind-boggling. Police are under intense scrutiny at this point because somehow, inexplicably, the incident Saturday night slipped under the radar. It was only when the news broke on Tuesday that Police commenced their investigation. Mike Rudon was on Police Street today and has the story.

Mike Rudon, Reporting

This house was allegedly home to many young boys in this neighbourhood off Police Street Extension in Lake Independence. A man in his early forties has lived here for two years…a man who is a registered sex offender, convicted for oral six with a fourteen year old in California. His neighbours say he didn’t talk to them. But they did notice a steady stream of young boys here in this house. It was a cry from one of those youths which caught a neighbour’s attention Saturday night.

Voice of: Neighbour

“We were out on the street there when I heard a boy from the neighbour saying that he wanted to go home. That was around eight-thirty. From there I saw the little boy come out and he was hiding around the fence over there to see who was around or watching. I saw him, and I said…what, what are you doing there?  He was crying and he said he wanted to go home and the man never wanted him to go home. He said that the man was having oral sex with him and the guy paid him two noodles. I asked him if his mother knew that he was there and he said no. So as a result we called the Police.”

The Police arrived on the scene fifteen minutes after, but according to the concerned neighbour who sounded the alarm, they did not do what needed to be done.

Voice of: Neighbour

“When it comes to policing, there’s a sequence of events which should transpire when any situation takes place. For example right now if there’s a shootout out there, you’ll see the crime scene personnel come and cordon off the place, you’ll see them pick up evidence, and the same thing should have happened over there. That should have been a crime scene, you understand, especially because of the nature that it was a child. What should have happened is that the Police, since they are the first responders but are not professional in those types of investigations, they should have informed the right people…the social and whoever, as Mr. Chester Williams stated that he has now notified. That should have happened the same night. They should have cordoned off the scene, went into the house, looked for evidence, looked for specimens, and looked for all the necessary things like computers and cameras that these types of people use.”

None of that was done on Saturday night, apparently, although the alleged predator was detained on the strength of the accusation of the young boy on the scene.

Voice of: Neighbour

“First of all the Police neva even had any handcuffs. They took long to get the man out because they neva had handcuffs. One of the Police asked the other…bwoy you have handcuffs, none of them had. When they got the guy out the Police came back to the little boy and they asked each other what they would do with him. I seh…ker di bloody bwoy da ih ma, and yu shouda charge di ma too because he noh business out ya. Dat da weh I seh. Dat da weh I tell di Police…ker di ma da ih ma. Anyway from deh they gawn.”

But the accused returned home shortly after…released from Police custody and that seemed to be the end of that.

Voice of: Neighbour

“The following day when I saw the guy got released, that is what pissed me off. Under no condition should that guy have been released at that time. For example, if the proper investigation had been done and the proper procedure followed, that wouldn’t have happened. There’s a simple charge that you can put on somebody if you’re basing on forty-eight hours – harbouring a minor. Since there is no evidence yet as to the bigger deal, just hold him for harbouring a minor and you have forty-eight then.”

Neighbours tell us that on Wednesday, following the airing of the story on Tuesday night the alleged pedophile packed up his belongings and seemed ready to run. And that’s when he was picked up by Police again – four days after the incident with the young boy and only after the media informed the Police about it.

Voice of: Neighbour

“They failed somewhere in that sequence because at all times the head of the department should be aware. For example, if something happens to any of you out here your headquarters would know. Chester should have known what took place that night, but he said blatantly on the news last night that Jules was the one who informed him as the media. He should have been ashamed, honestly. He admitted and he was grinning on the TV that Jules informed him. He should be ashamed. His department should have been the one to inform him and that was what went wrong.”

The neighbour and Good Samaritan told us that on Saturday night just after the accused offender was detained briefly, two other young boys showed up at his home to hang out. Mike Rudon reporting for News Five.

At news time tonight, no charges have been levied against the alleged predator and registered sex offender. To demonstrate the possible depths of this sickening carnal mess, News Five was told off the record today that the man in custody actually acted as babysitter for some of the young boys in the area, and there were many times that they would sleep over at his home. According to Senior Superintendent Chester Williams, they have questioned youths in that area who deny any sexual relationship with the accused.