Two arrested for extortion in Spanish Lookout

While there is still no official word about kidnapped Mennonite Menno Penner, another member of the Mennonite community and his family were threatened with bodily harm on Wednesday. Police arrested a Guatemalan Umberto Arevalo Hernandez and Belize David Landero of Billy White Village in the Cayo District after they allegedly took a letter, written in Spanish to Eddy Theissen’s home in Spanish Lookout. The letter told Theissen that if he wanted to “avoid Serious danger” to his family he must send three thousand dollars to them in Billy White within 45 minutes. Instead of paying, Theissen called the police who apprehended Hernandez and Landero. The Penner family of Belmopan has not fared as well however, with their head of household Menno Penner believed to still be in the hands of kidnappers. Penner was abducted from his Belmopan orchard almost four months ago on March 17th. Sources say the kidnappers are part of a gang operating out of the Cayo district, which has members from Guatemala and El Salvador. They have demanded one million dollars ransom.