Escaped convict captured in Corozal

Shortly after inmate John Bartley escaped from the Hattieville prison in July, the convicted burglar called the Department of Corrections to negotiate the terms of his return. The authorities did not give in to Bartley’s request, but instead promised to intensify their efforts to bring him to justice. Well, on Monday morning those efforts finally paid off when Bartley was captured in an abandoned building in Corozal. According to the Prison Department’s Errol Gentle, Bartley was seen on a number of occasions by prison officials in Chetumal. They made a report to the Corozal police, who finally caught up with him on the Belize side of the border. Gentle says investigations have revealed that Bartley frequently traveled between Corozal and Chetumal while he was on the run. How a wanted man managed to slip past authorities on both sides of the border so frequently is anyone’s guess. However, Bartley won’t be doing anymore traveling for a while as he is now back behind bars at Hattieville. Prior to his escape, he was severely wounded in the head when three attackers entered his jail cell. His roommate, Glenford Tillett was killed in the assault. Following Bartley’s escape he made a phone call to Krem Radio telling listeners he had fled the prison to protest his treatment at Hattieville and that he wanted to turn his life around, but did not get the support he needed from prison officials.

In other news from Hattieville, recently captured escapee Estevan Sho, was tried for his flight by the Visiting Justices, who sentenced Sho to ten lashes. For reasons known only to himself, that sentence was reduced to eight by Minister of Prisons Dickie Bradley and at 4:00 this evening, Sho was taken from his cell and flogged with a tambran whip. Sho is serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter in the killing of British volunteer Anna Lightfoot in 1998.