Placencia burglary suspect arrested

A man suspected of committing several burglaries in the areas around Placencia and Independence is finally in the hands of police. Authorities say the arrest of twenty-one year old Christopher Rodriguez has brought closure to at least two major cases that occurred in June 2006 and March 2007.

In the first incident, Rodriguez is believed to be the burglar who broke into the Placencia office of Tropic Air and stole a big screen television monitor along with a number of smaller items. Almost ten months later, Rodriguez is alleged to have gone to a residence in Independence Village where he not only burglarized the home of Rubin Hinojosa, but helped himself to the victim’s 2006 D-Max pickup truck, valued at seventy thousand dollars, that was parked in the yard.

Police would not go into the specifics of the case but say their investigation led them to a house in Santa Elena, Cayo early last week. Inside the premises, police recovered the big screen TV. Then, three days ago the trail led officers to another location in Ladyville where the stolen pickup was found. As a result Rodriguez, who has given police addresses in Seine Bight Village and Belmopan, has been charged with two counts of burglary, two counts of handling stolen property, and one count of theft. More charges are possible as police are looking closely at a number of unsolved burglaries up and down the Placencia Peninsula.