Police nab Belmopan burglar

While planning seems to have been the M.O. in the holdup of the Coca-Cola delivery truck, in Belmopan a month long series of burglaries appears to have been the result of similar intentions. Officer in Charge of the Belmopan police station, Gerald Bernard, says that no less than thirty-three burglaries were reported between September third and October ninth. That number was too much for the police to take sitting down and so while most people were out celebrating the long holiday weekend, elements of the force, including the Dragon Unit and Crimes Investigation Branch, were busy trying to catch up with the thief. And their hard work apparently paid off, because by the time Operation Safe Capital ended early this morning, the prime suspect, seventeen year old Anthony Williams, was in custody and thirteen others had been arrested for handling stolen goods. According to Superintendent Bernard, Williams would scout out the house, wait for the victims to go to work and then make his move.

Supt. Gerald Bernard, O.C. Belmopan Police Station

“He seems to be a very smart chap. All his targets are houses with a housewife, but no husband or no males living in these houses. And his modus operandi is removing louvers, removing the louvers, three louvers, normally. He’s a small chap so there is sufficient and he gets into the house and takes whatever is there to be taken.

Well we’ve got to send a message to these people who purchase stolen goods; we’ve got to send a message to them. I cannot see what will cross your mind to tell me that a little boy of seventeen without job, without employment, is not a salesman, who doesn’t look like a salesman of course, will be able to sell you a television and you’re just going to buy it right so.”

Now that police have apprehended Williams, their attention now shifts to capturing two other youths, Juan Carlos Ramirez and Dennis Green, who are wanted for unrelated burglaries. Both Ramirez and Green are eighteen years old.