Former Orange Walk Mayor Appears Before Appellate Court

Ravell Gonzalez

In June 2008, then Mayor of Orange Walk Town Ravell Gonzalez knocked down and killed two persons near Rhaburn Ridge on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Manuel Coto was pushing a bike with two year old Markita Lopez on it, when a minivan being driven by Gonzalez struck them. He was charged for causing death by careless conduct, but it would not be until August of 2015, more than seven years after, that Gonzalez would face a jury and be convicted for those charges. He was fined four thousand dollars and was ordered to pay compensation of one thousand dollars to the family of those killed. It was believed that the sentence did not fit the crime, and it was appealed by the Office of the D.P.P.  Today that appeal was upheld, and Gonzalez was ordered to pay a fine of eight thousand dollars and compensation of ten thousand dollars. While the former Mayor was clearly not happy with the decision of the Appeal Court, he does have two years to pay the additional monies, in default nine months in prison. The Appeal Court made special mention of the fact that the case for a traffic offence took seven years to go to trial, but it was pointed out that the matter was adjourned repeatedly because Gonzalez was away on study leave – ironically, studying law. He is an attorney, having been called to the bar in Belize last year.