Corozal policeman charged with rape

A police officer from Corozal town has found himself on the other side of the law after being charged with rape. According to the alleged victim, around three a.m. on Sunday she was about to get into her vehicle when Police Corporal Edgar Tapia forced her into the car, drove her to an isolated area in the Finca Solana housing development, and raped her. Tapia appeared in Corozal Magistrate’s Court this morning where he was formally charged with rape, forcible abduction, and taking a motor vehicle without permission of the owner. He was offered and met bail of fifteen thousand dollars and was ordered to reappear in court on March sixteenth. At the time of the incident Corporal Tapia was off-duty and not in uniform. In a police press release, Commissioner Gerald Westby assured the public that no wrongdoing on the part of any police officer will be overlooked and every effort will be made to enforce the department’s strict code of ethics.