The Brothers Meighan and Grinage Siblings Arraigned for Home Invasion
Police believe they have cracked an armed home invasion at a residence in Burrell Boom last Thursday night. Six of eight suspects have been arrested, charged and arraigned in court today, while police look for two other men. Three women have also been charged in connection with the armed robbery at the house of businessman and honorary consul of Lebanon, Sarkis Abou Nehra. Some of the suspects are well-known in the criminal world and were detained at a bar; in their vehicle police found some of the stolen items. Abou Nehra was travelling overseas when his house was broken into, the housekeeper raped in the presence of her husband, who was also badly beaten. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the following report.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The recovery of a small cache of firearms, stolen from the residence of Lebanese Consul Sarkis Abou Nehra during an armed home invasion last Thursday in Burrell Boom Village, accompanies the arrest of several individuals. Those persons include Tyrone Meighan, one of three men recently acquitted of the November 2012 murder of James Noralez. He stands accused of sexually assaulting the spouse of Abou Nehra’s groundskeeper during the lengthy ordeal that night.
Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster, Regional Commander, Rural Eastern Division
“The evidence that we have led us to prefer the charges that we preferred on Tyrone Meighan.”
As if storming the residence at gunpoint and beating the caretaker to a bloody pulp wasn’t enough, raping his wife, presumably in his presence, is a trauma that the couple will have to cope with. For now, a police investigation into the incident has led to the collection of physical samples from Tyrone Meighan and his accomplices.
Hilberto Romero
Supt. Hilberto Romero, Head, CIB
“Specimens have been retrieved from all accused persons and those specimens will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. They all provided specimens and they are working on sending it for tests at this time.”
Sexual offence aside, also accused of perpetrating the aggravated burglary is Brandon Baptist. He too was among the trio that walked off the said murder of the Belize Defense Force soldier. The weekend arrest of the culprits is the result of swift police work.
Edward Broaster
Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster
“By Friday night one of our police officers who was patrolling, very observant I must add, caused our patrol to intercept a vehicle and that vehicle when intercepted, or the individuals that were intercepted at the Blue House Bar, started a snowball where the vehicle, a Vitara, was intercepted and searches were made of that vehicle and stolen items from the aggravated burglary were found in that vehicle. Since that interception the leads start falling into place and we began to gather the evidence that we needed and to date we have arrested and charged John Grinage, Jerson Grinage, Brandon Baptist, Sheldon Grinage and Randolph Coleman, along with Tyrone Meighan jointly for the crime of aggravated burglary, conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary, conspiracy to commit rape, handling stolen goods and theft.”
Arrested and detained along with them were three women, who were subsequently charged for the crime of handling stolen goods.
Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster
“Kemira Cacho, Crystal Augustine, Ashanti Roches and all others mentioned before were likewise charged for handling stolen goods. That is where we’re at with that incident at this time and these persons have been taken before the magistrate’s court today.”
Of note is that while police have nabbed the suspects, possible evidence in the form of surveillance footage is missing from the residence.
Supt. Hilberto Romero
“At some point when they entered the compound they held up the caretaker and his wife at gunpoint. They then proceeded to retrieve some tools at which point they broke into the house, they damaged the front door then they proceeded to ransack the entire building. Some safes were broken into, the cut through the metal safes. They were there for a couple hours and they stole the items that were mentioned.”
Those items included eleven thousand, five hundred dollars in various currencies and denominations, an assortment of jewelry and the collection of weapons. The thieves then craftily removed the digital video recorder that may have been capturing the incident as it unfolded.
Juanito Cocom
Insp. Juanito Cocom, O.C., Ladyville Police
“They made off with the surveillance, the DVR, the brain of the surveillance equipment. They made off with that particular apparatus.”
The robbers, a number of them residents of the Police Street area in Belize City, are known associates of the Ghost Town Crips. Charged in connection with the incident is Ellis Meighan.
Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster
“Ellis Meighan, in addition, will also be charged for making threats of violence to the community by our police officers.”
Reporter
“Are you able to relay those specifics as to these threats that he’s made?”
Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster
“Yes. Specifically he made mention that he is going to kill any Chineyman when he is released.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
