U.S. fugitive arrested in San Pedro

He is a retired consultant who has been enjoying the good life in San Pedro for the last three years, but tonight James Robert Harold is a guest at Her Majesty’s hotel. Harold, who has been living under the name Samuel Foster, was arrested on Wednesday by Belize police, acting on a request from U.S. authorities who held a warrant for the sixty-one year old American. According to police press officer G. Michael Reid, Harold is wanted in the U.S. State of Indiana for various crimes. While police are being tight lipped about what those crimes are, sources tell News 5 that Harold’s misdeeds include a string of fraudulent financial dealings. But before he is shipped north to face those charges, he will first have to answer to local law enforcement authorities. Harold was arrested after a search of his San Pedro home turned up a forged Belize passport in the name of Samuel Foster and other documents also believed to be fake. Harold has been charged with three counts of uttering a forged document, two counts of knowingly making a false statement and one count of obtaining a Belize passport by false representation. He appeared before a magistrate in Belmopan on Wednesday and was remanded to prison until November twenty-sixth. According to Reid, Harold will first be tried for the crimes committed in Belize, after which, extradition proceedings will likely begin.