A Belize City man was arrested and charged for the robbery of a high-tech cellphone that occurred a little over a month ago. Kadeem Olivera, 19, a construction worker of 76 Neal Pen Road, pleaded not guilty to one count of robbery when he appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano this morning.

Cayetano released Olivera on a $1,000 bail plus one surety of the same amount and adjourned his case to May 27.

On Monday, February 24, sometime after 12:00 noon, Shaquiel Williams, 21, a laborer residing on Neal Pen Road Extension, visited the Fabers Road Police Station and reported that he was robbed the night before, Sunday, February 23.

According to Williams, he was on Neal Pen Road, around 11:00 p.m., when he was approached by two men who were riding bicycles. One of the men had a black hood on his head and the other man was dressed in a red jacket.

The man with the black hood approached Williams and demanded that he hand over his Samsung Galaxy, which has a $1,300 value. The phone contained a $25 SD card, and a BTL SIM card, and a headphone was also attached to it.

Based on that report, police carried out an investigation, but had failed to make an arrest until they were visited by Williams, who provided more information about his alleged attacker, who had demanded his cellphone at knifepoint.

Williams told police that the man who robbed him was working on Central American Boulevard, and he accompanied the police to Olivera’s workplace.

Police then arrested and charged Olivera with the robbery.

But after his arraignment, Olivera, who was accompanied by his mother and one of his sisters, proclaimed his innocence. He told Amandala that he did not commit the robbery, but the police decided that they would charge him for it anyway.