Alleged robber at Marion Jones Stadium behind bars
Randy August
As you are aware by now, the courts were busy even on the last day of the year. Nineteen year old Randy August will bring in 2013 behind bars after he was arraigned this morning for an armed robbery and remanded to prison. August appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith where he was read one count of robbery upon forty year old Victor Argueta. He pleaded not guilty, but due to the use of a firearm in committing the offense, bail was denied. Argueta, the sub-contractor for the Marion Jones Stadium, reported to police that he was at the work site on December twenty-second when two men approached at around two-forty-five p.m. One of men was reportedly armed with a black pistol and robbed him of three thousand dollars in cash, which was part of the pay roll. The assailants then robbed thirty-seven year old Jaime Marin, the Construction Supervisor of one hundred dollars in cash, a three hundred dollars cell phone and his wallet. An iPhone was also stolen from forty-five year old Carla Patnett, the Deputy Project Manager for Continental Urban Development. The men then escaped, but August was later captured. He returns to court on February sixth, 2013.
This young man is obviously poor, or he would not be out robbing. He grew up in a country that still has plenty of remnants leftover of the colonial system – thus expecting that someone should be giving hand outs and it is a lot easier for a young, strong healthy young man to rob a fellow human than to make an honest days living like the thousands of Belizeans who are in the same situation as him.
But, here is what is left after taking away all the layers – he has a gun, which in Belize is not less than a couple thousand dollars and bullets in Belize are very hard to come by. Thus, logical deduction dictates that he is obviously a drug dealer or works for one (or one of the gangs who are into drug dealing for income).
In conclusion, this crime is directly linked to….you guessed it, DRUGS. Which I will continue to point out that alcohol and drugs is at the root, the core of what is rotting away at Belize’s society and morality.