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Allegedly robbed in police station – by police!

GeneralAllegedly robbed in police station – by police!
A Belmopan resident has accused a special constable working out of the Queen Street Police Station of stealing money from him while he was waiting to catch the first bus out of town.
  
Today, John Myvett, 37, a resident of Flamboyant Crescent in Ladyville, Belize District, was read charges of theft before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer in the #2 Magistrate’s Court.
  
Ronel Rivero, 33, reported that he left Caesar’s Palace on the Barracks around 3:00 in the morning of Saturday, April 14, after socializing. Realizing that he had a substantial sum of money on his person, approximately $1,550 — $990 in one pocket of his pants, and the rest, $560, in the other — and knowing that the first bus to Belmopan would leave around 5 in the morning, he decided to go somewhere safe to wait it out – the Queen Street Police Station.
  
According to Rivero, the officer had no idea that he had $560 in another pocket. He said that he had so much money on him because he had just sold a vehicle and had deposited some of the money, and the remaining cash, which he had in his possession at the time, was to buy parts.
  
Rivero explained that he was never detained by police. He asked a female officer he knew who was riding in a mobile unit in the area for a ride to the station to wait until he could go to the bus terminal.
  
At the station, he alleged, Myvett approached him while he was sitting on a bench inside, and insisted on searching him. He took his money from inside the pocket of his pants and told him to walk in front of him as he took him to the office of the NCO (non-commissioned officer, in the Police Department, equivalent to a corporal or sergeant).
  
Rivero refused to walk in front, and as they went to the office, he saw Myvett take the money and give it to an officer standing nearby.
           
Rivero complained to the NCO about what Myvett had done, whereupon Myvett gave back some of the money, about $190, leaving a balance of $800 unaccounted for.
  
Rivero said he refused to take it, because he knew that $800 was missing, which Myvett is now accused of taking from him.
  
In his hearing, Rivero claimed that officers at the station threatened to arrest him for assaulting a police officer and to “plant” bullets to lead to a charge of keeping ammunition without a gun license; they claimed that the latter was “easy” to do.
  
According to police, since the arrest of SC Myvett, $450 was found inside a locker at the police station; there is no indication whether it belonged to Myvett or another officer. There is still $350 missing and unaccounted for of the $800.
  
Officially, police reported that three officers on duty near Caesar’s Palace brought an intoxicated Rivero to the station and searched him to make sure he had nothing illegal in his possession.
  
Nothing illegal was found, but they noted the $990 (never noticing the other pocket and remaining money) and put him on the bench in the station out of harm’s way, they said.
  
Events then transpired as reported by Rivero above. He has made additional reports to Patrol Branch at Queen Street and Internal Affairs at Racoon Street Police Station.
  
In court, Myvett pleaded not guilty and met bail of $1,000 plus one surety of the same amount. He returns to court on June 4.
   
Before leaving the court, Myvett asked the Senior Magistrate if he could be provided with disclosure as soon as possible, and she made an order that disclosure be granted.
   
This is the third instance in which Myvett is accused of wrongdoing.
   
He was first charged for wounding remanded prisoner Kevin “Passam” Dawson, while allegedly beating him up along with another officer, but the charge was dismissed after Dawson did not show up to testify against him.
  
Dawson had posed as another prisoner, the deceased Frederick Flowers, and was given bail and freed from a charge that was similar to Flowers’.
  
In 2010, Myvett was charged with extortion and obtaining property by deception from Keon “Gambis” Williams, but on February 2, 2011, that charge was also dismissed when the court prosecutor was unable to provide Myvett with disclosure on the matter, and was also unable to provide the court with notice of their intention to proceed with the matter at a reasonable time.
   
Keon Williams was accused of committing an unnatural crime by allegedly sodomizing a 14-year-old male minor in 2009 and was denied bail, but it was alleged that Myvett sent him home instead of taking him up to the Belize Central Prison where he was to be remanded.
  
 (Written by Aaron Humes; information provided by Anita Nembhard, freelance reporter.)

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