Mejia pleaded guilty to theft of jewelry, cell phone and watches

Desiree Mejia, 51, a domestic of #182 East Collet Canal, is spending her first night of a two-year sentence in prison after pleading guilty to stealing over $15,000 worth of jewelry, watches and a BlackBerry cell phone, the properties of Lisa Johnson, a trauma surgeon of Belize City.

Johnson had reported to police that between July 10, 2013, and September 15, 2013, a peach Sachel brand purse containing an assortment of jewelry, name brand wrist watches, and a BlackBerry cell phone went missing from her house, the items estimated to be valued at $15,520.

Police launched an investigation into the matter, which led them to detain Mejia, who was a domestic worker for Johnson. Mejia allegedly confessed to police that she stole the items and on November 8, 2013, police were able to recover one gold ring with a sapphire stone from JL’s Pawn Shop. The following day, November 9, police then recovered some of the stolen jewelry and the cell phone from one of Mejia’s daughters.

Later that same day, another amount of the stolen jewelry was recovered from another woman.

In a tearful mitigation plea, Mejia told the court she did not know what came over her that day and that it was the first time she committed a crime like this. She also told the court that she has her children to look after because they don’t have a father by their sides.

Mejia, a mother of 7 children with the youngest being 13, was then told by Magistrate Clive Lino, “You have breached the trust of your employer”.

He then sentenced her to two years in prison for her crime.