Fake Cops Pull Off Home Invasion in Hope Creek

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood

A trio of thieves dressed in camouflage hit a home in Hope Creek pretending to be police officers carrying out a raid, before making off with a sack full of money.  The home invasion happened around ten p.m. on Thursday night at the residence of fifty-seven-year-old Esther Crispia. The men led the woman inside her bedroom where they proceeded to rummage the place under the guise of searching for firearms and illegal drugs. According to ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, the suspects are believed to be from the Bullet Tree Falls area of Cayo District.

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communication Director, Belize Police Department

“She’s a naturalized Belizean. She reported that she was at home when three men, fully dressed in camouflage, wearing masks arrived at her residence and took her to her bedroom where they claimed that they were police officers and that they would be conducting a search for illegal drugs and ammunition. These men went straight to a box that she kept behind her head, where they remove a blue, red and white crocus bag that she claimed she had a large amount of cash in different denominations, being U.S. and Belize currency, and they told her that the cash being the proceeds of the sales of illegal drugs would be taken to the police station. She believed them. They walked out of the house carrying the money, she walked outside behind them where she saw them meet up with another person that was also dressed in camouflage standing next to a white F-150 pickup with Cayo license plates. All four men boarded the vehicle and drove off. This incident occurred the night before she made this report.  She went to make this report a little after eleven the following day. We are looking for two persons in connection with this report, from the Bullet Tree area who are known for these types of incidents and hopefully if we detain them, we hope that they can shed some light as to what occurred.  I came here today with my police I.D. because I want you to see that each officer has been issued with an I.D. like this. They have their name tags that were issued.  If the police come to your house not displaying or showing you their identification card then you know that they are not police officers. This was recently issued and it is the latest edition of our police I.D. signed by Commissioner of Police Chester Williams. It has all your personal information on it, down to the date of enlistment.”