Belmopan burglaries put three behind bars

A string of burglaries in the capital city has left investigators with their hands full and three men behind bars. The first call came from three Belmopan residents who returned from vacation to find their possessions missing and their homes gutted by fire. Subsequent investigations have led to the arrest of eighteen year old Hildibrant Codd and twenty-three year old Marlon Fisher Harris. Cops say Harris and Codd are the two of the three men that broke into three homes on Moho, Mahogany and Ben Bluff Streets and stole a number of household items. But more disturbingly, tonight we understand that after the robberies, the accused perpetrators started fires inside two of the homes in an attempt to cover their tracks. With assistance from concerned residents, police say they were able to detain Codd, Harris and a number of the missing goods. The third suspect has yet to be detained. Both men have since been charged with arson, burglary and handling stolen property.

Meanwhile, another man, eighteen year old Gabriel Elias has also been charged, this time in connection to a break-in at the Belmopan Market. According to police reports, Elias was in the area acting suspiciously so officers on mobile patrol stopped and searched him. In one of his pockets, they found a re-sealable bag full of money. Checks in the area later revealed that the same amount of cash found on Elias had been stolen from a market shopkeeper. The accused later confessed to the crime and has since been charged with burglary.