7 News Belize

Cops Charged For ATM Shakedown
posted (December 11, 2013)

So, that's two major pieces of news against the police department, and tonight, we add one more: 2 officers have been criminally charged for the ATM shakedown of Thyrell Hyde, a most brazen form of police abuse caught on tape.

42 year-old Police Corporal Reymundo Requena, a resident of Benque Viejo, and 30 year-old Police Constable Edgar Teul, who resides in Belmopan were arraigned before Magistrate Clive Lino today.

Requena was charged with harm against Hyde, and theft of $70. He, Teul, and another – who has yet to be detained – were jointly charged theft of $260; that was supposedly the money they withdrew from Hyde's Atlantic Bank Account from the Freetown Branch, which was caught on camera.

Both officers pleaded not guilty to the charges, and were granted bail of $4,000, which they were able to meet. They must return to court on February 11, 2014, their next court date.

Interestingly enough, Requena came dressed in civilian clothing, but in an attempt to try to slip past the photojournalists at court, he changed his clothes to this police uniform and borrowed a police cap from one of his fellow officers who works at court. He was trying to blend in and pass as one of the many officers who operate at the Magistrate's Court out of the Prosecution Branch.

Teul was a little cleverer, and waited the media out. When the other prisoners were being transported before the lockup of the Magistrate's Court, he dodged the cameras by using the stream of persons leaving as cover. He then ran away; yeah, real stand-up guys…

As we told you, Thyrel Hyde claims that on September 8, several officers conducted a search of his vehicle. The operation quickly went crooked when they shook him down for money that he had in his pockets, stole an envelope which had over $1,500 in cash, detained him, took him to the ATM, used his card to withdraw money from his account, and then let him go, threatening to arrest him if they ever saw him again.

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