Darrell Carter, former PUP City Councillor, jailed

A former People’s United Party City Councillor and radio talk-show host had to spend a night in prison for failure to pay an outstanding fine owing to the Belize Social Security Board. Owner and proprietor of Carter’s Custom Upholstery, Darrel Carter, was arrested and charged late Thursday evening after police visited his business at the Corner of Elston Kerr and Cemetery Road in Belize City. Cops were armed with not one but two committal warrants issued by the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. One was for two thousand four hundred eighty nine dollars and twenty nine cents while the second was for one thousand and twenty eight dollars and ten cents. Because Carter was unable to pay the outstanding fines immediately, he was escorted to the Hattieville Prison shortly between four thirty and five on Thursday evening to spend a twelve-week jail term. However, during lunch hour today, his wife Natalia Carter, a Magistrate at the Belize Family Court, paid the outstanding fine, buying back Carter’s freedom. The fines were in connection with a notice that the Social Security Board made on November twenty second, 2005 when they realized that Carter was not making social security contributions for his staff. The Board took the matter to court after Carter reportedly failed to meet his verbal commitments. Revenue Magistrate, Edd Usher ordered that Carter must pay the fines in full by August fourth, 2007. Carter had made an installment payment, but had failed to meet the balance. A committal warrant is issue as a sign of distress in failure of payment as ordered by the court and upon its execution, if the defendant is unable to make payments forthwith, he must go immediately to jail.