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UDP mayor’s driver commits suicide

HeadlineUDP mayor’s driver commits suicide

Maurice Amancio Serano, 62, driver for Mayor Francis Humphreys, was accused of misconduct with underaged girls

DANGRIGA, Stann Creek District, Mon. June 4, 2018– When the word spread this evening that a man had taken his life in Dangriga, there was not much interest until it was learnt that the person was Maurice Amancio Serano, 62, of New Site.

Serano, more known by his middle name, Amancio, was a retired soldier of the Belize Defence Force, an elite physical training instructor, a martial arts instructor, and most notably, the driver and bodyguard of UDP mayor Francis Humphreys.

The tragedy occurred at about 2:40 this afternoon at Serano’s house in Dangriga. Information to us is that at about 1:30 this afternoon, Serano was at work at the Dangriga Town Board Office, and he was in good spirits, talking and giving jokes.

However, when he saw some policemen and learned that they were coming to see him, he went into the office to avoid them, and exited through a back door. He then got into the Mayor’s vehicle and drove away.

The police officers, who realized what had happened, quickly came out of the building and drove behind him in pursuit. They followed Serano until he stopped at his house in New Site, came out of the vehicle and went up the stairs.

Before Serano entered his house, however, when he was at the top of the stairs, policemen heard a gunshot. Serano had shot himself, after putting his gun under his throat. He fell onto the stairs and died immediately.

Information to us is that the police had wanted to talk to Serano about allegations concerning misconduct he had engaged in with two underaged girls. They had gone to look for him last week and they returned to question him today. He had reportedly told his co-workers that he did not want to go to jail, and would never want to disgrace his family.

Police called his workplace and relayed the sad news. Delcia Ciego, Clerk of the Town Hall, said that it took all of them by surprise, and they were shocked, because they did not see it coming. He did not seem depressed, and did not show any signs that he would take his life.

She said that he was a very dependable and efficient worker for the Mayor. He had been working at the Dangriga Town Hall, driving for the Mayor, since March 2015.

Serano, also known as Sir Ser, or Reesho, was a member of the Police Special Force and crossed over into the Belize Defence Force in January 1978 when the PSF was disbanded.

He migrated to the United States after his honorable discharge from the BDF, lived in Chicago, USA, for awhile, and returned home in 2015.

Serano was married in the early 1990’s but became estranged from his wife, and went to the US in 1997. His son, 13, is Maurice, Jr., and he is believed to have other children.

Information to us is that he was loyal to the Dangriga mayor, telling people that he “would take a bullet for the mayor.”

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