Dinora Guzman left for Cancun, and returned to find over $8,000 worth of items missing

Today, Kristen Dominguez, 19, a resident of Ladyville, was carted off to the Belize Central Prison because she was unable to pay a fine of $1,000 after she was found guilty of burglarizing the house of her neighbor, Dinora Guzman.

According to Guzman’s testimony, she and her family left Belize on November 30, 2012, en route to Merida, Cancun, with her father to get him medical aid. When they returned on December 11, 2012, they drove up to find the lights on, inside the house, when they had left them off.

They suspected that a burglar may have been in the house, and parked their vehicle with the headlights shining on the front door of the house, in an attempt to keep the burglar inside the house until the police arrived.

During this period, the burglar, whom they recognized as Dominguez, was pushing against the door and looking at Guzman in her face.

Dominguez managed to push the door open and ran past Guzman to her home, about two houses away.

Guzman also testified that when they did a walkthrough of the house, there was a strong smell of weed, and her stove, towels, microwave oven, shampoos and conditioners, footwear, fans, televisions, gas tanks and other items, amounting to $8,940, were gone from her home.

Dominguez called one witness, but her testimony was not credible, and Magistrate Clive Lino found her guilty of the crime.

She was fined $3,000, one thousand of which had to be paid forthwith, or in default of payment, she would be imprisoned for one year. The balance of the fine has to be paid by January 14, 2014, or she will spend another two years in prison.

Dominguez was unable to pay the $1,000 and was taken to prison this evening, until she either pays the fine, or does the time.