Thursday, February 4, 2010

Caye Caulker Police Officer Charged for Assaulting a Young Girl

Caye Caulker Police charged one of their own after a young girl on the island reported to authorities that she was sexually assaulted. The officer is 20-year-old Tourism Police Constable Darren Casimiro of Caye Caulker Village. The incident allegedly occurred on La Isla Carinosa on Tuesday, February 2nd and the constable was arraigned the following day in San Pedro’s Magistrate Court.

According to Police the 14-year-old Canadian tourist told her mother that sometime around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2nd, she was walking along Front Street in Caye Caulker Village. Upon reaching an area near Sobre Las Olas Restaurant, she was approached by Constable Casimiro who was on a bicycle. The girl told her mother that Casimiro took her to an area behind the restaurant where the officer proceeded to touch her all over her body inappropriately.

The girl, accompanied by her mother, gave a statement to police where she accused Casimiro of assaulting her. Based on the information and evidence gathered, authorities proceeded to charge Casimiro. Casimiro was charged for the crime of indecent assault on a minor and was taken before San Pedro’s Magistrate Court on Wednesday.

Judge Emerson Banner offered Casimiro bail in the sum of $2,500 and a surety of the same amount. Casimiro was placed on interdiction effective today and will be subjected to a Police internal investigation.

Street closed off to avoid accident over gas leakage

A section of Sea Grape Drive was closed off this afternoon by both the Police and Fire Departments. The San Pedro Sun was able to confirm that a pipe on one of the trucks belonging to a local butane company, E & L, broke and began leaking gas. To avoid any major accident, the area was cordoned off until the truck was taking to the southern end of the Island. No major incident was reported.