Repeat Burglar of Ladyville School Charged, Held Without Bail Due to Flight Risk Concerns

Hilberto Ramos is now behind bars at the Belize Central Prison after being charged for burglarizing Ladyville Evangelical Primary School not once, but twice, on the same day. The 27-year-old construction worker who claims to be homeless and unable to provide a fixed address to the court, faced two counts of burglary stemming from the incidents on Monday, March 3. According to police reports, the first burglary occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. at the school located at Mile 12 1/2 on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Teacher at the school, Melinda Tillett reported that upon returning to her standard one classroom the following morning, she discovered that wooden louvers on the front window had been removed and the room had been ransacked. Items stolen included a black Bluetooth speaker, cleaning supplies and various learning aids. Later that same day, Ramos allegedly returned to the school and stole a Lasko fan, a black velocity wall fan, an extension cord, additional cleaning supplies, and a blue Yazbek t-shirt. The exact value of the second haul remains undetermined. In court, Ramos initially pleaded guilty to both charges. However, when Senior Magistrate of Court #3 inquired about his understanding of the serious nature of the offenses and the potential for a custodial sentence, Ramos changed his plea to not guilty, stating, “I don’t want to go to jail.” Given the rising prevalence of burglaries in Belize, the Senior Magistrate denied Ramos bail in the first instance. Furthermore, due to his lack of a fixed address, the court deemed him a flight risk. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until May 7.