Trio Charged with Burglary, Accused Thief Accuses Arresting Officer of Sexual Assault

An eighteen year old female, Victoria Garnett and two minors were today arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court for the offense of Burglary. One of the minors is a thirteen year old student from Saint Luke’s Primary School and the other is a sixteen year student from Gwen Lizarraga High School. When the issue of bail came up, the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith originally upheld the prosecutor’s objection but bail was granted after a stunning allegation from the eighteen year old to the effect that she was sexually assaulted by one of the officers who was at the scene of the burglary. The Social Services Department was called in and the young woman and her mother later headed to Internal Affairs of the Police Department to make a report.  Garnett along with the two minors are accused of entering as trespassers, the home of Mindy Pratt, at Mile two and a half on the George Price Highway and stealing a television set and thirty dollars in cash. The trio was seen leaving Pratt’s house. On arraignment, Garnett asked permission to speak saying that she was at the scene because she was looking for her younger brother. There, she says, an officer sexually prepositioned her and touched her inappropriately and when she refused to have sex with him, he threatened to report that he caught them at the house. This afternoon, the three met bail with several conditions including that they must attend counselling at the Community Rehabilitation Office.