Police ready to widen net of Puga investigation

While the Deputy Chief of Security at Hattieville Prison, Oscar Puga, awaits his day in court, public indignation mounts over his personal escorting of three inmates for a night out in Belize City. With the Kolbe Foundation under pressure to put Puga under manners, the focus now turns to who else may have been involved in the scandal. For their part, the police say they are ready to follow any leads.

Supt. Aaron Guzman, Officer Commanding C.I.B.
“If it is that other persons acted in collusion and I gather evidence to suggest that I will ask the advice of the D.P.P. and if he says go ahead and charge them for some sort of conspiracy then so be it.”

“It may not be that police officers see these persons out there so if it is that you see a prisoner out there at night then please feel free to call our hotline, call 911, call the 922 line and then we will respond because if we don’t know of the instance specifically at the said time then we can’t react on it. However though, if it is that it is reported after the fact we can still carry out an investigation and based on the witness statements gathered, we can probably still proffer charges against those persons concerned.”

Driving the S.U.V. intercepted on Saturday night at the mile four checkpoint on the Western Highway was remanded murder suspect Taedron Bennett. Puga was seated beside him while the backseat passengers were Bennett’s fellow defendant Joseph Kee and Harry Trapp Junior. Both Bennett and Kee are remanded awaiting trial for the murder of the Brannon brothers while Trapp is serving a twenty-five year sentence for manslaughter.