An alien teen who came to Belize from Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, to burglarize unsuspecting Belmopan residents, was caught red-handed on Tuesday, after breaking and entering into the home of a single woman, who teaches in Belize City, and while attempting to enter the home of a couple just across the road on Honey Camp Street, in Belmopan.
A neighbor, the wife of a police officer, saw the suspicious activity at the second home and alerted her neighbor, a man who had gone out of town to San Ignacio. The homeowner then called a friend and the Police Department, and both responded immediately, in time to apprehend the teen with items he had stolen from the area.
Police later ascertained that the 17-year-old came to Belize that same Tuesday morning from Melchor, Guatemala, and Belize Immigration had given him three days to stay in the country.
The burglar entered through a very small space between the wall and the bed, after removing three glass louvers from a side window of the bungalow house; then he placed two of the louvers in an ‘X’ formation over the space in the window. After rummaging through the house for what he hoped would be valuable jewelry, the burglar exited through the back door. He wore no gloves and police were able to match his fingerprints with the fingerprints on the glass louvers.
When police detained him, the teen was found with a knapsack containing a knitted black cap with two holes, which he uses as a mask, along with a screw driver and a half-inch spanner. Police believe he brought the items with him to Belize.
Police found the burglar with an earring and necklace with a medal he had stolen from one of the residences on Honey Camp Street. They were not authentic gold, valued only about $30. Police were able to confirm that the items were stolen from the home of the teacher.
According to police, this is not the first time that the Melchor youth has burglarized homes in Belmopan City. The young man confessed to a total of five burglaries in Belmopan, dating back to 2009.
The man whose house the teen was attempting to enter on Tuesday morning reported seeing the same teen on a previous occasion some time ago, behind his yard, as if scoping out the area. At the time, said the man, he was ready and waiting to use his shotgun on the burglar, if necessary.
Police say that they will form a neighborhood watch in the area, as a consequence of the recent burglaries.
Meanwhile, the teen was charged Tuesday evening with two counts of burglary, but other charges for previous burglaries are pending.
Amandala made a query with a Customs official to see how it was possible for the teen burglar to penetrate the border with his mask and tools. Officer-in-charge of the Customs station at the Belize Western Border, Henry Marsden, told us that his officers (usually four on duty) check roughly 75% of the baggage brought into Belize. Tourists are not searched, but Customs requests from them a declaration.
There are people from Melchor who come to Belize daily with their merchandise. Their bags are checked, said Marsden.
On a weekday, such as Tuesday, hundreds of Guatemalans come through the border. Many of them work as laborers in the construction industry, and they sometimes bring in their tools, explained Marsden.