Amandala received a call on Monday, May 11, in response to last weekend’s front page story, “Singer Iwanhi claims police harassment with big guns”, from a woman disclosing details about the alleged burglary for which police had last Monday searched the home of Mark Neal and Iwanhi, a recording artist of the US living in Los Lagos, Belize District.
Amandala understands from the well-informed source that the female victim is a Government worker who said she had been living in the area for 10 years with no losses of, or damage to, any of her property. She left her home at midday, May 2, and returned on the evening of May 3, only to find what she estimates to be over $10,000 worth of household possessions missing.
Amandala’s archives of police press releases contain no information on the alleged burglary; however, we were able to separately confirm with Inspector Calbert Flowers, the officer responsible for that jurisdiction, that a burglary was indeed reported in Vista del Mar for that Labor Day weekend, and the complainant had listed items valued at a total of $4,835: a computer valued at $2,000, assorted jewelry worth $1,500, a stereo and two speakers worth $600, an LG DVD player worth $300, a VCR worth $150 and a pink lady’s bike worth $285. Also missing were two empty suitcases.
The police report also indicated that the burglar bars of the home had been cut just enough for a small person to get inside the building.
Our source reports that access was gained to the complainant’s home from the back, more than likely on Saturday night.
She told us that Mark Neal had been living right beside her for just about two months, but by the time she returned home, her stuff was missing and she also found that Mark had moved.
She concedes, however, that it may be just circumstantial evidence, because she did not receive any report that Mark was actually seen stealing her stuff.
In Mark’s defense, Iwanhi, who had reported to us last week that she and Mark were being harassed by police because of the robbery report, said that the allegations against Mark are “hogwash.”
“Where is the stuff? Where is the money?,” she questioned, arguing that if Mark were indeed guilty of the crime for which he is being accused, she would have either had to have seen the items, or the proceeds from the sale of stolen goods.
Instead, she said, when she returned home two to three days after the alleged burglary, Mark was broke and she had to give him money.
She also questioned why the police waited until she returned to Belize from the United States to search her belongings, which had just been checked at the airport as a part of routine procedures.
The burglary, said Iwanhi, is a “blanket excuse,” and it does not make sense, she said, adding that the police have nothing to substantiate the allegations.
“I have a recording studio in my home. How comes that stuff is not missing?” she added.
Iwanhi said that the police are always after Mark, accusing him of things he is not guilty of.
Two years ago, she recounted, they arrested Mark when he went to the police in Burrell Boom to report that her wooden house and two horses had been stolen off a property there.
But more than harassing Mark, Iwanhi contends, police are really after her.
“Why did they want to go through my bags?,” she questioned of the most recent incident that took place on her return from the US. “Why are they telling me they will take me to jail?”
Inspector Flowers told our newspaper that the Vista del Mar burglary is still under investigation, but he continues to stress that police had to pick up Mark for questioning.
“We are not saying it is him, but because his name came up, we have to investigate,” Flowers said.
According to Iwanhi, police returned to their house at Los Lagos the day after she and Mark visited the newspaper, and, according to Iwanhi, said that “we were the targets back there…we cannot have any company in our house…and the horses can only be kept in front of the house. They told Mark if he tied the horse in somebody’s yard, somebody may shoot him …”
“How can he tell us we cannot have company?” she questioned.
She told us that she intends to pursue legal action against the police.
(Please note that Neal and Iwanhi had moved from their two-storey house at Vista del Mar to a single-level house and most recently, to another house at Los Lagos.)