Man Remanded for Alleged Assault and Protection Order Breach

Twenty-four-year-old Windell Thurton has been remanded to prison after being charged with common assault and breach of a protection order. Thurton, who was wanted by police since a May 10 incident, was detained yesterday at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court while attending a separate case. Thurton was escorted to court this morning, where he was arraigned on a charge of common assault against his ex-girlfriend, Keran Roches. He initially asked if he would only receive a fine if he pleaded guilty, stating he “just touched the young lady.” However, after hearing the police facts, which alleged he choked Roches until she lost consciousness, Thurton disputed the details while still maintaining his guilty plea. The senior magistrate rejected the equivocal plea and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. The prosecution objected to bail, citing that Thurton had previously been ordered to stay away from Roches in January and had a three-year restraining order against him from the Family Court since February. The prosecutor argued that Thurton had shown no regard for these previous orders. The magistrate agreed and denied bail, remanding Thurton to Belize Central Prison until October 6.