Belmopan resident accused cop of jacking him at Queen St. Police Station

Ronnel Rivero

You would think that you would be safe at the police station, but it turned out otherwise for a Belmopan resident. Thirty-three old Ronell Rivero alleges that he was robbed inside the Queen Street Police Station on Saturday. Rivero says that around three-thirty that morning he was out socializing and had a little too much to drink so when officers gave him a ride to the station, he thought he would be safer there because he had almost fifteen hundred dollars on him; money he had received from the sale of a vehicle. But it didn’t quite go that way; in the early hours of the morning Rivero said a Special Constable, John Myvett, took eight hundred dollars from his pocket, in front of other officers.  Rivero was never charged for any wrong doings, however, according to police he was searched by a corporal to make sure he didn’t have anything illegal in his possession. But later Myvette demanded to conduct a second search. That’s when he took the cash and, try as he might, Rivero could not get his money back.

Ronnel Rivero, Claims Money Stolen by Law Officers

“I went to buy a food, this dah like after three suh I just buy a lee food and tek ah lee one and two drink and I realize dah like quarter to four so I si that I kinda lee tipsy so I say that I was probably safe at the station so the police deh give me a ride at the station so that dah mi like quarter to four and when we reach the station the Sarge say, ‘why yuh bring the young man fah?’ He say well wi cyaa charge ah but we wah hold ah fi wah hour because my bus di leave in a hour suh he say, ‘tek out weh yuh have inna pocket,’ suh I tek out my passport, job letta and money and the man say ‘what weh you di do with all dah money?’”

Andrea Polanco

John Myvett

“How much money was it?”

Ronnel Rivero

“That was eight hundred inna lone fifties  and I mi have a hundred and fifty dollars pan the side, that was nine hundred and one hundred and fifty dollars pan the side inna one pocket because the other pocket had the rest ah money but he neva know dah money inna the top pocket. Su the man say put yuh money inna yuh pocket and sit over there.  After an hour and change, Mr. John Myvette come and kick me and say ‘get up mek ah search yuh’. I tell ah that I done get search already by the Sarge and I have to ketch my bus but he say ‘no, I have to search yuh,’ and I say fine and he tek out the money outta mi pocket and say walk dah front but I say no I will not walk dah front I want to see what my money di do inna your hand and I say no three times and afta that he gimme wah lee  push to the door and I si when ih tek ih hand and give the money to wah another police but this Myvette is a Special Constable and I tell the officers  that he tek mi money and I say that I wah search he fi my money and he say deh wah charge me with assault and he gone outside and come back and I tell ah yuh done gone away with the money now and I nuh wah left the station till I get my money. Suh the man tell me you could go dah Channel 5 News, Channel 7 News, CIB, yuh could mek yuh complaint, he nuh care.  When I mi di leave the station, an officer give me a lee information to my mom and my work and say that if yuh son go to the station they will plant bullet on him and he will go straight to jail. Now when I come dah work now deh tell my boss the same thing, if this young man go pahn the news he wah be wah target, deh wah always harass ah and always target ah but the day deh do that mami I nuh gwen dah jail, trust mi I dah wah nice person suh nobody nuh wah bribe me. Well I mih think that I mi safe dah the station and say if you go there with two thousand dollars you wah safe  but deh di rob yuh and suh the best thing is that you get rob pahn the street cause dah the same thing dah the station. Yuh get rob pahn the street at least you could go dah court and get back yuh money. But when yuh get rob dah the station it’s very hard to get back yuh money due to certain people weh work. I think that I safe deh but I nuh safe deh mien. Even if I had wah dollar pahn me, I nuh wah ker that deh mien; I prefer give that weh or dash that weh before I even go een deh.”

In court, Myvett who appeared unrepresented was read a single charge of theft to which he pleaded not guilty. Bail was offered to him in the sum of one thousand dollars plus one surety of the same amount which he met. He is scheduled to reappear on June fourth.  Myvett asked to be provided with disclosure as soon as possible and Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer ordered that the disclosure be granted. In 2011 Myvette was able to beat a charge of extortion.