UDP Deputy Chairman Alberto August Pleads Not Guilty to Aggravated Assault Charge

UDP’s Deputy Chairman, Alberto August, is currently out on a five hundred dollar bail for aggravated assault.  The 62-year-old was arraigned in court on Monday afternoon where he pleaded not guilty.  The complainant, Tracy Daisy Gonzalez, reported to Police that August uttered insulting words at her inside the Elections and Boundaries office in Bullet Tree.  August has not shied away from questions surrounding this incident.  During his time on Monday’s Morning Show, he gave his side of the incident, indicating that at no time did he do what Gonzalez accused him of.

Alberto August, Deputy Chairman, United Democratic Party: “I asked the lady I said “Miss you are a senior registering officer how do you allow this to happen under your watch.” Her response “Well I don’t have no control over it. I take who the public service sends to me to work here.” Because one of the major allegations is that an employee from one of the PUP area representatives office came to work in the office, an operative of the area representative for that constituency and she said “Well I have to take who public service sends to me. I can’t question that.” But I was not asking that in terms of the employee I was asking that in terms of how do you allow twenty persons to be in an abandoned house ? You must supposed to ask your officer because you are the one that signs on the supplementary your name is there. How do you do that ? Well that was her response and she turned me onto the lady who was working there and it’s not me it’s who they sent to me. I said “Miss, you are the lady that comes from Chebat’s office?” Her response was “I don’t have to answer your question.” I said “Okay, Miss what I will do I will take a photograph of you if I need it for future reference.” I took out my camera and then she went off. “You can’t take no pictures of me, if you take any pictures of me I will sue.” with the bad word. So I stopped, I put my phone in my pocket and I walked out. A few days after Lindsay and I were coming to Belize City we stopped in Belmopan and that was where I was advised that there was a charge against me and I went in for the charge last Monday and I am on a $500 bail.”

The matter comes at a time when the government recently strengthened the penalties for uttering threats and insulting words, under the Summary Jurisdiction Offences Act.  According to the Bill, ‘A person who uses any threatening, abusive, profane, obscene, indecent or insulting words or behavior, whether calculated to lead to a breach of the peace or not, such several offences being committed in a street, or public place, or in a private enclosure or ground, whether directly or within hearing of a public officer in the course of duty; commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for three years.’  End of quote.