COTTON TREE, Cayo District, Tues. June 23, 2020– A house in Cotton Tree door had its door damaged when it was forced open, and the house was ransacked and $6,000 was stolen, along with other valuables. The house owner was not at home, and on her return, she found her house in disarray and when she checked her security cameras, she saw that about 18 policemen had driven into her yard, and entered and searched her house.

Maude Blancaneaux, 27, of Cotton Tree, told the media that at about 2:00 Thursday afternoon, she left her home to go to Belmopan to do some errands.

On her return, she found her house had been broken into and ransacked. She examined her house and saw that her backdoor had been broken, three of her bedrooms had been ransacked, her security cameras in her living room had been covered with cloth, her cash pan that was in her bedrooms containing $6,000 was forced open and all the money stolen, money, she said, that would have been used to renovate and improve her building.

Her daughter’s laptop had also been damaged, and her tablet, which was on her bed, had been damaged.

Blancaneaux said that after reviewing the tape and making sure that policemen were the ones who came to her house and damaged her property, she went to the Roaring Creek police to make a report, but the report was not taken. She was told to go to the Belmopan police, where she was directed to the Professional Standard Branch, where she finally made the report.

In response to Blancaneaux’s complaints, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that the Commander of Professional Standard Branch, Superintendent Donald Sutherland, would launch an investigation into the allegation, and if it is found that indeed, if it was policemen who went into her house and committed the offences, they would be dealt with.

Blancaneaux’s attorney in the matter is Arthur Saldivar.