Mother Cleared of Charges After Trying to Retrieve Son’s Stolen Bicycle

A Belize City mother who spent the weekend in custody after being charged with several offenses walked free from court yesterday morning. Forty-two-year-old Genoveva Noble claimed she was simply trying to recover her son’s stolen bicycle when she ran afoul of the law. Noble appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this afternoon, facing charges of causing a bicycle to proceed in a one-way, obscene language, resisting arrest, and boisterous behavior. The charges stemmed from an incident on Saturday, February 1, where police allege Noble was riding a bicycle the wrong way on East Canal Street. They further claimed she used obscene language towards an officer, resisted arrest, and behaved boisterously on West Canal Street. Noble, who was unrepresented in court, gave a very different account of the events. She explained to the Magistrate that she was chasing a man she saw stealing her son’s bicycle. She admitted to riding the bicycle up the one-way street, but only in pursuit of the thief. Noble told the court that instead of helping her apprehend the suspect, police stopped her and issued charges. She said she tried to explain the situation, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Noble’s story took an even more dramatic turn when she described what happened at the King Street Police Station. She claimed that officers cursed at her and spoke down to her, refusing to even verify her story about the stolen bicycle. Noble further alleged that a male officer attempted to handcuff her, and in the process, tore her dress, exposing her breast in front of her daughter. She stated that four officers were involved in the attempt to handcuff her. After hearing Noble’s testimony, the Magistrate dismissed all four charges under Section 59A of the Summary Jurisdiction Act Chapter 99 of the Laws of Belize. The Magistrate stated that she understood Noble’s distress over the theft of her son’s bicycle and her attempts to retrieve it. The Magistrate also expressed the view that the police had already punished Noble by detaining her over the entire weekend. Noble told the court she was detained Saturday night and was not allowed a phone call.