He’s known for his strict, no-nonsense management of the police checkpoint
at mile three on the Western Highway, but this morning 32 year old Police Corporal
Mark August was the one under manners as he was taken to the Belize City Magistrate’s
Court to face criminal charges. He was charged for 8 offences. Corporal August,
who is attached to the Patrol Branch in Belize City, was charged for wounding,
2 counts of threatening words, 2 counts of common assault, damage to property,
and aggravated assault.
The charges are for an incident we told you about last week in which Belize 
City mechanic Fernando Searle and his girlfriend Tanya Pitts allege they were
attacked on Christmas Eve. Searle told us that Corporal August beat him with
a wheel spanner which broke his left arm. He also suffered body bruises and
an injury to his right foot. Pitts says she was also attacked and slapped. She
claims that two days later – August attacked her again – this time
with a metal pipe. Both Searle and Pitts had to be hospitalized.
The attack was prompted by the theft of a car stereo and DVD player from Corporal
August’s Isuzu Rodeo. The items went missing from the SUV while it was
at Searle’s mechanic shop at mile one and a half on the Northern Highway.
The Corporal also claims that after buying hundreds of dollars in parts, Searle
still failed to repair his vehicle.
This morning in court, Corporal August pleaded not guilty to all 8 charges.
He was granted bail of $4,000 on the condition that he does not interfere with
the witnesses and that he reports to the Clerk of Court every Wednesday. He
met bail and will reappear in court on March 30th. Corporal August has been
placed on interdiction from the Police Department.
Email
Print