Mark King is expected to appear in Corozal Magistrate's Court tomorrow - 48 hours after police assessed him with three charges. Those are aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and threatening words.
The charges arise out of a bizarre event that unfiled at the Princess Casino at the northern border early Tuesday morning. According to reports, King became enraged that a member of his entourage had been thrown out of the Casino and eyewitnesses say he exploded into a wild tantrum - which continued all the way to the border station where he confronted police.
Today King sent out another apology on Facebook. His first - official - one didn't show much contrition, in fact he said he did nothing wrong. And his second - unofficial one posted on his facebook page at 11:00 am said, quote, "A big thank you to all those who…supported me and didn't judge me. For those of u who did, I accepted to be charged as myself or no one is above the law. I remain firm and sincere with my apology to this nation where the peace was breached..."
But, King makes it clear, he's not the one to blame: "I continue to keep firm I did nothing wrong." And he adds, quote, "my apology for trying to save and innocent citizen in an event that went most unfortunate."
So he says he was trying to save someone but he sure had a funny way of doing it; eyewitnesses tell us he tore down the decorations at the Princess Casino, accosted the manager, sat on the floor, tussled with security, and then got into it with police.
Today the Prime Minister discussed the King quandary, and its implications:
Prime Minister Dean Barrow - Prime Minister Of Belize
"Well, I did hear that Mr. King intervened when the security guards were trying to eject somebody who was part of the group he was with. I did hear that when that person was ultimately put into the pan of a police pickup, that Mr. King jumped into the pickup, again saying that he didn't think that it was fair for his friend to be arrested and taken away by the police. That's the sort of report that I got."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, the Opposition has said that you have been too tame, that in fact, he should be removed from office completely."
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"What else would they say? I seem to recollect the Carlos Dias incident. I want the Opposition to tell me when it is that in government, their prime minister ever disciplined any minister. I have now done this for a third time, and I believe that I can say with absolute truth that I act in a manner that distinguishes the conduct of my administration from of the Opposition. And I will leave it there."
Jules Vasquez
"There are those in the UDP who would attest that this individual has been out of control by his public actions, and by his not-so-public actions for some time now, and that being in office has only perhaps inflated his exposure to this type of incident."
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"I have no knowledge that. I know that when he was in Opposition, and was fighting for the cause, that he was a brave soul who would engage in public displays meant to dramatize his opposition. And, I can clearly have no complaint on that score. In terms of since he's become a minister, really, I have found Mr. King to be extremely self-contained. The thing is, Jules, that clearly what was done was not well-done - to put it mildly. We have acted. Mr. King has been subjected to my personal sanction. He must now face the courts, where there is a chance that he will punished a second time over. He has apologized. He asked me again when I was on the radio just now to reiterate that apology. While accepting the gravity of the situation, I don't think we should engage in a public lynching. It is as I said; the courts will deal with him. I have dealt with him, but he has been man enough to come forward, while preserving his options in terms of the trial, to say look, 'I apologize; I am sorry, and we are believers in second chances."
And while the Prime Minister is forgiving, now it's up to the courts. Tomorrow, King will be arraigned on those charges we mentioned at the top of the story: aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and threatening words. The aggravated assault is the most serious but it does not refer to a firearm assault; it refers to an assault on a police officer - and any such assault is considered aggravated.
Today the Association of Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of The Supreme Court issued a statement saying that quote,"As a Justice of the Peace Mr. King has violated the JP Code of Ethics". It concludes, grimly": "Let us hope that justice is served." And while they join a chorus of disapprobation, we note that the association regularly has no comment when JP's are implicated in major acts of immigration and land fraud.
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