SAN PEDRO TOWN, Thurs. Dec. 31, 2015– Less than 48 hours after Police Constable Luke Moriera—an officer of the San Ignacio Police formation who was declared Officer of the Month for November 2015—was remanded to the Belize Central Prison for allegedly raping a female detainee, another cop has been accused of a sex crime, this time against an underage girl.
Ironically, Police Constable #1661, Kyle Hubert Serano, 26, of the San Pedro Police formation, who likewise received recognition as Officer of the Month for July 2014, was arrested and charged with 3 counts of sexual assault of a girl, 13.
Serano was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court today. He pleaded not guilty but the prosecution objected to bail, so he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until February 4, 2016.
Police said that at about 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 9, the girl and her mother filed a complaint that Serano had sexually assaulted the minor on three separate occasions, on November 27, and 30, and on December 3, 2015.
The complainants alleged that the officer fondled and kissed the girl, and had oral sex with her.
San Pedro Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent Henry Jemott, reported that after they received the report against Serano, they launched a thorough investigation and found enough evidence to arrest and charged him. The Commander said that there is a policy of zero tolerance for crimes and misconduct by police officers and that there will be no cover-up.
When PC Serano was recognized as Officer of the Month, the then Commander of San Pedro Police, Superintendent Luis Castellanos, had said, in an interview with the San Pedro Sun, that the officer had been recognized for his determination and desire to work.
Castellanos told the Sun that when reviewing all the candidates for the award, they noted that PC Serano has been working tirelessly to complete his case files. He had made the most arrests in the prior months and had shut down a bar that was closing at a later time than it should have.
On accepting the award, PC Serano had expressed the desire to strive for excellence.