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Aug 27, 2010

Hard times are here: woman charged for stealing from grocery store

Martha Parchue

She stole over fifty dollars in goods but will have to pay twelve times the value. Fifty-eight year old Martha Parchue, who was caught in the act, pleaded guilty to Theft today and admitted to stealing fifty-two dollars in groceries from Discount Supermarket on Mahogany Street. Parchue walked into the supermarket on Wednesday, put several items into her shopping bag and headed for the exit. That seemed easy enough, except that the security guard was on the alert all along and the store owner was monitoring her on surveillance video. So Parchue made it as far as the door where she was stopped, searched and detained. When the cops came into the picture, Parchue claimed that her name was Sandra Vernon. In mitigation, Parchue told Magistrate Aretha Ford that she is taking full responsibility for her actions because she does not want to lose her job, which she recently got after being unemployed for a long time. Parchue begged for leniency and Magistrate Ford imposed a non custodial sentence, ordering her to pay a fine of six hundred dollars plus court costs by September thirtieth or spend six months in jail.


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12 Responses for “Hard times are here: woman charged for stealing from grocery store”

  1. MADDYVANDIJK/DEREALIST says:

    She has a job yet she put her job on the line to steal food and bring shame on herself, seem like enough is never enough for some of these people.
    No different than the stupid salvadoran women who stole jewelery for her work.

    holy crap, we cannot deport this one .

  2. Carlos trujillo says:

    I feel sorry 4 dis woman although her actions r wrong. In our country those politicians worry about their cronies first rather than our poor people. A word of advise 2this person leave those little things 2 de politicians they know de trick behind it. U know dat if u steal 100dollars or less people wa call u theif but if u theif millions and millions u will be given an honourable name. Something like finance minister,prime minister e.t.c. Go and ask musa,barrow fonseca esquivel, and all de rest how to steal peoples money and avoid jail. Surely they got a doctorate degree with honours in that subject.

  3. BZNinCALI says:

    The woman has a job, it may not pay much but it is probably enough to buy food. Hard times did not cause her to steal, sometimes old habits are hard to break. She did not start stealing at 58 & knew enough to give the police a fake name. Tell us the truth old girl, were you hungry or did one of your seeds in jail request special vittles? And we continue to question where these worthless children get their morals!

  4. marie says:

    This lady’s stealing was not the right way to go. Sometimes our pay check is not enough. Who knows what this lady is going through. Maybe she needs to feed her family. Belize always wants to jail our less fortunate. Most times they steal because of HARD TIMES!

  5. Good4deSoul says:

    I in no way condon what this lady did, but why charge this lady $600.00 or 6 mths. in jail? The pedophiles, murders and other leeches on Belize get away with sucking this Beautiful Country dry and get nothing less than a slap on the wrist. Who get’s the $600.00 is it the G.O.B? If they do what the heck do they do with the money, cause it’s not going to the people via the Courts, fixing these rotten potholed sreets, shameful looking Police Station and on and on.

    WAKE UP BELIZEANS! These petty theives are not the Problem It’s The Politicians and Our Colonial Judicial System that’s Strangling US.

  6. Earl Grey says:

    WE NEED SOCIAL SERVICES TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE THIS. CARLOS- you are right. Politicians steal hundreds of thousands of dollars and ……. WALK.

    We need to help people who fall through the cracks…..

    THE NGO’S must take the lead.

  7. Maria says:

    I learn that u need to thief big if u dont want to b charged, we must learn to thief like Zenida Moya Flowers Rene Montero he acts as he is the owner of ministry of Agriculture and BMDC, imagine the poor importers of fruits and vegetable having to pay BMDC 5 per lbs of potatoes,carrots cabbage and if they dont pay minister Montero dont approve their permits and also one man got the permit to import garlic B<DC is the sole importer of onions now u will understand why those things are so expensive, they talked and critizied the PUP but thye have done so much crime in such a short time how can the crime rate go down when those suckers are commiting such injusticeness,my people where can we go for help.Why should we be paying Roque Mai fat salary we are suffering please can the PM do something before something happens I have a great mind to sue BMDC why they charge those poor importers just because they are humble people but you believe they will react and soon PM please avoid more crime

  8. Maria says:

    I want you all to please bring this on your news

  9. Maria says:

    people d suffa out ya PM when u d use tax payer money to b flying 2 times per week to USA we are starving cant send our children to school,u promise lower cost a living more jobs zero corruption where r u Dean Barrow how can you forget all your promise so soon dont you know what Montero doing with the ministry of Agriculture how comes only d people from San Antonio get what they want he forgot Santa Elena and the other surrounding village’s he taking care of San Antonio Cristo Rey 7 Miles those village only consist of a very small margine of voters,Monetro please take care of us in Santa Elena and the other village’s

  10. belizeanpride says:

    NICE POINT MARIA when he wanted my vote he went to my house during dinner time and i left just respect my dinner and when i went to see if he can help apply a piece of land he told he he aint aquainted with the deals that need to be made but to return next week wednesday and since then that’s all he keep saying come next week so Montero don’t count on my vote nor my whole family.

  11. dick head says:

    UDP WILL NEVA WIN AGAIN ,BOTH ARE THE SAME BUNCH OF CROOKS

  12. STARR MARTINEZ says:

    NOW SEE THAT IS WHERE I FEEL THAT THERE IS SOME KIND OF HYPOCRACY IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM BECAUSE OVER THE YRS I HAVE ALWAYS READ WHERE CRIMINALS I.E MURDERERS AND RAPISTS GET SLAPS ON THIER WRISTS FOR THIER CRIMES AND HERE WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO IS STEALING FOOD TO SURVIVE APPARENTLY DOESN’T HAVE THE MONEY $50.00 TO PAY FOR THE FOOD BUT NOW SHE IS BEING ASKED TO GO OUT AGAIN AND DO WHATEVER IT MAY TAKE TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY (TEN TIMES OVER) I AM NOT SAYING THAT SHE SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED HOWEVER DOES HER PUNISHMENT MATCH THE CRIME? MY OPINION IS JUST THAT MY OPINION BUT HELL NO IT DOESN’T

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