Last night, we told you about Melissa Ferguson, the wife of accused murderer William Danny Mason, who was arraigned and remanded for conspiracy to commit the kidnapping of murdered Pastor Lewellyn Lucas and David Dodd. Well today, William Danny Mason was brought back to court for the kidnapping of Canadian Lloyd Freisen and his wife, Rosie.
This is the case where Freisen, who was a major grain producer operating out of Spanish Lookout, claims that Mason conned him out of 300 thousand dollars. Freisen told police that Mason misrepresented himself as a shipping agent who could facilitate the importation 300 thousand dollars' worth of corn through Argentina which never materialized.
Freisen told Mason to return his money. He didn't and after an extended time of Freisen pressing him to give back cash, Mason reportedly invited him to his Intelco Hill home in Belmopan for a meeting.
Freisen told the cops that while there, Mason and his associates kidnapped them, and they were taken to the mile 31 Ranch. According to the couple, that's where Mason allegedly threatened them, and told them not to say anything to police because he would know if they did through his deep connections. He allegedly then began extorting them for $2,500 weekly, which they paid for a time, before fleeing to Canada.
Freisen then returned to the country to give the written statement after Mason and his associates were charged and remanded for the death of Pastor Lucas. He then fled the country a second time a few days later.
So, that brings us to today when the cops tried again to act on Freisen's written complaint. Mason and 3 of the men on remand for murder, were transported from Prison to the Belmopan Magistrate's Court for additional charges of kidnapping.
Our news team was in Belmopan this morning for Mason's 3rd arraignment attempt:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
Several MIT officers arrived at the Belmopan Court ready to push members of the public back. Their presence was the first indication that William Mason and his employees would make an appearance at court.
Again they were strict, but a little more friendly this time, requesting that everyone, including the camera men, to step back so that they could better control the area.
Acting Commissioner Russell Blackett had said a few weeks ago that the heightened security protocols were due to the fact that Mason and company were considered "high risk" prisoners.
File: July 20, 2016
Russell Blackett - Acting Commissioner of Police
"You have to take all precautions understandably so. We have our tactical teams and this is the way we move prisoners who are high risk."
That gave police the perfect excuse to keep the press at bay, making sure that the van drove right up to the door, and another vehicle swooped in to cover any vantage point bystanders might get.
All that commotion was for nothing, however, because when William Mason, Keyron Fernandez, Ashton Vanegas, and Ernest Castillo, were arraigned before Magistrate Anderson, it was procedural, and anti-climatic.
Assistant Police Commissioner Chester Williams, who handled the arraignment, said that it was because he was sure to double and triple check all the minor details, so that the arraignment would go through.
ACP Chester Williams, Esq. - Attorney Representing the Prosecution
"We had just arraigned Mr. Williams Mason and the other persons who had been charged with him in respect to the kidnapping of Mr. Friesen and his wife which took place in May of this year. There was no difficulties, as the prosecutor in the matter ensure that I cross my T's and dot my I's before I come to court and ensure that everything was in order and so everything just flowed this morning."
As you would remember from a month ago, another less diligent police officer, bungled the first arraignment attempt on Ryan Rhaburn, William Mason's farm hand. He was able to walk out of court free due to the arguments of his attorney. He was to have been brought back before the court today, for a second attempt, but he didn't show up:
ACP Chester Williams, Esq. - Attorney Representing the Prosecution
"Mr. Ryan Rhaburn is a part of the charge in respect to this matter. His name is on the court book and from what I have been briefed by the investigator is that Mr. Panton who represents Mr. Rhaburn had promise that he would have been here this morning with Mr. Rhaburn for him to have been arraigned, but unfortunately that did not occur. So we will have to continue to look for Mr. Rhaburn and have him arraigned in respect to this matter. I believe that he should have been arraigned long ago, but because of difficulties that that the prosecutor had then, arraigning him, he was released by the magistrate. So I was expecting to have him here today so that we could go through that matter, myself and Mr. Panton in court before the magistrate and let the magistrate decide whether or not we have sufficient to have arraigned him."
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