An American woman who is in a tourist in Belize has become the source of some controversy as her family in the states say police took her passport and don't want to give it back.
It started with a traffic accident that occurred three weeks ago on the Southern highway at the Placencia junction.
The sender of the emails, US National Elliot Boutz, son of sixty year old Suzan Benzle Boutz, who was involved in the accident has made several allegations against the police department. Elliot Boutz claimed that his mother was left to sleep on the ground after being detained. He went on to say that her passport was also taken away and they were treated unfairly by the police in Independence.
Boutz was travelling with his mother Suzan, who was driving when she crashed into thirty nine year old Rony Robert Cruz. Cruz who was unconscious at the time was transported to the hospital and Boutz was detained by the police. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mike Segura, Boutz was detained and charged with "driving with due care and attention" and "negligent grievous harm" as doctor classified Cruz's injuries as maim. Because Cruz was still unconscious, when Boutz appeared in court the Magistrate ordered that she surrender her documents as per procedure.
Segura went on to say that, police investigations reveal that Boutz was at fault in the accident because she failed to give way to traffic. In responding to allegations that Boutz was left to sleep on the floor, the police deny that because they said she was allowed to sit on a detention bench and was even loaned a quilt while she had her son stay with her.
We also contacted, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we were told that Boutz was released on the 21st when she was charged and granted bail. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs went on to say that the police report stated that she was allowed to contact her family, U.S Embassy and was also told she can get a lawyer if she wished to.
Elliot Boutz takes a different view and has started an internet campaign against Belizean authorities, claiming that they have been roughly and unjustly handed and that their case has been sabotaged.
Most serious in all this is a website with the headline, quote: " Belize Review: Warning Do Not Travel to Belize".
A note on the site states, quote: "I will take this site down as soon as Mrs. Boutz has her passport back and is safely out of the country…"
Police investigations are ongoing.
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