Alleged Gang Member Denied Bail

Ronlee Petillo

Belize City resident Ronlee Petillo has been accused of being a member of the George Street Gang (GSG) and was arraigned before Magistrate Dennison Mannon earlier today. Petillo, who was recently granted bail for rape and aggravated assault with a firearm, pleaded not guilty to the charge. According to the allegations, Petillo, who resides on Armadillo Street, belongs to the GSG, engaged in committing serious offenses as a member of the gang. Due to the nature of the offense, no bail was granted, and he was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until July 3, 2023. Petillo’s common-law wife, Kishanna Bodden, claims that he is being targeted by the police. She says that ever since he was shot on April 15, 2023, while on Amara Avenue, police officers have been visiting their home, claiming that they heard he had self-discharged. She refuted this claim, explaining that Petillo was discharged by the hospital. She added that police officers have been frequenting their home every day since his release, sometimes twice a day. According to Bodden, Petillo had difficulty filing a police report regarding the shooting incident that landed him in the hospital. She says that Petillo knows his shooter, and during mediation with the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, yesterday, Petillo approached his alleged shooter and asked why he shot him. No arrest has been made yet in connection with Petillo’s shooting. Petillo had been on remand for three months for the offense of rape and aggravated assault with a firearm upon a woman before he was granted bail on March 31, 2023, by the then Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser. Two weeks after his release, he was shot.