7 News Belize

Hon. Castro’s Sons Had Run-In With Cops, Accounts Differ
posted (June 19, 2017)
UDP Minister Edmond Castro constantly seems to be going from the frying pan to the fire. And after one week out of the headlines - he's back in the news tonight - but not for something he allegedly did, it's more like what his sons 23 year old Wasani, and 21 year old Jafari are accused of doing. Their troubles with the law started early on Friday morning at around 4:00 am - when a Belize City Southside police patrol said they were speeding on East Collet Canal in the Conch Shell Bay Area. The police came up on them - and PC Shelrick Caliz claimed they cursed him, warned him about who their father was, and eventually assaulted him. Caliz claimed the vehicle had no license. We have to say claimed because his own commanding officer is tonight saying that PC Caliz's report is not accurate.

Today, Southside Commander Chester Williams told the media that there are three sides to this story:...

ACP Chester Williams- OC Eastern South Division
"Police approached a vehicle or two young men who were not too far away from a vehicle that was parked. One of the young men was asked to produce his driver's license and replied to the police that he had lost it but had a picture of the license on his phone that he could have shown to the officer. The officer made checks on the vehicle and, like you said again, he found out that the vehicle had on no license sticker. Now this was brought up to the attention of one of the young men and based from the officers account one of the young men used indecent language to him. From there the young man was placed under arrest. Now that is one account. You know that each story have three sides. You have each party's side and you have the truth. But the issue there is the officer approached a man who was not in a vehicle. You would know the charge would be: drove unlicensed motor vehicle, or driving a motor vehicle while not being the holder of a valid license or failed to produce a driver's license when requested to do so by an officer. But when you're not driving then how can the police then come to charge me for driving when I'm not driving? The young men in question were then taken to the police station on precinct one. And when they got there it is alleged that on the way to the police station and at the police station they were beaten by the officers. And one of the officers took his phone and was in the face of one of the young man videotaping him and provoking him to some extent. And again, that lead to another situation at the police station. I can emphatically say to you that neither myself or the commissioner or any politician instructed the police not to charge. Despite the fact that, you could have clearly bored holes through the story of the police. The officer was allowed to decide his mind on his own what he will do- if he want to proceed with charges or not- for the simple fact that we don't want anyone to say that: oh interference because of who the young men were. The officer in question decided, in light of what had transpired, that he will not proceed with the charges against the young men. And he have that right. And you would know that, these young men as well were also making a complaint against the police for assault and other things that transpired on the way to the police station or at the police station. From a discussion between the two parties, the police and the young men, they both agreed that both sides will not proceed against the other."

That would be a tidy end to the story. But, it's not all that simple. Here's why. 7News has obtained copies of two police reports: one made by Caliz - which - as Williams said he agreed to drop. But then there's another one, which is in what is known as the police CIMS. CIMS is the Crime Information Management System and that has a record of every report entered by a police officers, and it describes what action was taken in terms of making arrests and pressing charges. 7News has obtained a copy of two more reports entered about those events early on Friday morning: One by WPC Young, and one by PC Dionicio Coc. They allege that there was actually an altercation in the police precinct one, and allege that Castro punched PC Coc. We asked Williams about it - and he said police were provoking the young Castro's:

Jules Vasquez - reporter
"At precinct one PC Dionicio Coc alleges that Wasani Castro, 23 year's old, assaulted him."

ACP Chester Williams - OC Eastern South Division
"That's because he had the phone on the man face provoking the man. As police officers Jules we must respect people."

Jules Vasquez
"However, PC Coc did give a statement in which he requested court action. And on the CIMS, the report that's on the CIMS, not the first report that was on the media, the second report- number ten thousand nine six six one on the Sim system, POR- says clearly that he requested court action and that the man was handcuffed, Wasani Castro was handcuffed, charged and taken to precinct two for lock up. It says that. I can read it to you sir."

ACP Chester Williams
"That is not true though. It might be there but that is not so."

Jules Vasquez
"Yes but Coc made a statement saying: I request court action."

ACP Chester Williams
"Well like I said my breda, I knew nothing of Coc but if Coc so desires, that he thinks the young men assaulted him, like I said, neither myself nor the commissioner or anybody is going to impede police from doing his work. He can proceed against them. And they, the young men, also have the option to complain against him as it relates to what he did to them at the police station."

Jules Vasquez
"It says that WPC Young obtained a warrant in the first instance and formerly arrested and charged Wasani Castro for the offence of assaulting a police officer-that's aggravated assault- his charge sheet was read to him."

ACP Chester Williams
"That is not true."

Jules Vasquez
"But you agree that report was on the Sim system?"

ACP Chester Williams
"I haven't seen it Jules, I saw it on Facebook. But that is not is not true."

Jules Vasquez
"But sir it's on the Sim system. It's entered into the Sim system."

ACP Chester Williams
"I am telling you categorically, it is not true. What is there that charges were read, that is not true.

Jules Vasquez
"But it is on the Sim system you agree? So that makes it virtually true."

ACP Chester Williams
"I don't know, I saw it on Facebook in a report that resembles what is on our Sim. But I can tell you it did not occur. No charge sheet was ever read to either of the young men."

Jules Vasquez
"Well then sir, something is really wrong with the Sim system because..."

ACP Chester Williams
"No, something is wrong with the person who did that and released it to the media."

Jules Vasquez
"But sir, you have something in your system and it's factually there, I can prove it."

ACP Chester Williams
"Well Jules I know you have impeccable sources within the police department."

Jules Vasquez
"But it says that he was charged."

ACP Chester Williams
"But your sources as impeccable as they are, they are releasing false information to you because that is not so."

Jules Vasquez
"But your CIM system has false information, it could be because a senior officers intervened to stop the process."

ACP Chester Williams
"Jules I can say I have gone to space, does it mean I have been there?"

Reporter
"How have you proven that it's not true? Were you present at the time?"

ACP Chester Williams
"I was present, no charges were ever read to the men."

Jules Vasquez
"Have you spoken with PC Coc?"

ACP Chester Williams
"No."

Jules Vasquez
"So then, PC Coc had a complaint that's in the Sim system."

ACP Chester Williams
"Then he can proceed Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"But I'm saying, he's a police officer making a complaint, he doesn't need a warrant for the arrest, he can proceed."

ACP Chester Williams
"Exactly he can proceed."

Jules Vasquez
"If the Sim system has a statement from this person that says that: Wasani Castro was behaving boisterous, I told him to calm himself and be quiet. He then jumped off his seat and came towards me. A struggle ensued between two of us, we ended up wrestling on the floor at which time I was trying to get control of him and to stop resisting. During the struggle on the floor he punched me on the right side of my head with his right fist. Thereafter, with the assistance of PC Valdez, Wasani Castro was placed in handcuffs and escorted to Precinct two to be detained. I request court action."

ACP Chester Williams
"I'm gonna put on my Facebook page this evening Jules that I have been to the moon and I walked on the moon."

Reporter
"But that's not from the Facebook page."

ACP Chester Williams
"No I'm just saying, I can put it in the Sim too."

Jules Vasquez
"CIMS, reference number, you could look it up Mr. Williams."

ACP Chester Williams
"What is on the CIMS was put there by persons, by man, by police officers"

And while Williams emphatically rejected that point, - the media also asked about the White Wingle which police first stopped them in. According to the PC calix statement it had no license, but no charge was brought for that. It's of note because the Castro boys were caught 16 hours later in Orange Walk with 89 cases of contraband Mexican beer - and they were in a white Wingle. Now we cannot say it''s the same pick - because the one in Orange Walk had no license plate, and Williams made it clear, he couldn't say either:

ACP Chester Williams
"I don't know the vehicle. I have not seen the vehicle. I don't know if it's the same two young men that were in orange walk. I don't know if it's the same vehicle. I don't know. And I will not comment on something I know nothing about."

Jules Vasquez
"There is a fact here that the vehicle had no license plates or license sticker. A similar vehicle with no license plate or license sticker, a wingle, driven by the same individuals was intercepted in orange walk some 12 to 16 hours later. Might it not be reasonably inferred that if the police had proceeded as they should have, minus the personal drama, minus whatever assault and counter assault or videoing people in their face, if the police had proceeded as they should have and charged them for not having a license on the vehicle, a license sticker or a driver's license, might not the entire contraband event have been averted and the police abdicated their responsibility to charge for an obvious offence."

ACP Chester Williams
"Jules, your vehicle is parked where right now?"

Jules Vasquez
"Racoon Street sir, the safest space in the country."

ACP Chester Williams
"Good. Nobody in there driving right now right? So if the police is to go there and inspect your vehicle right now and observe that it has no license sticker and when you walk down the police tell you they arrest you and charge you for drove motor vehicle, an unlicensed motor vehicle, you think it will be fair to you?"

Jules Vasquez
"No sir."

ACP Chester Williams
"Thank you very much."

Jules Vasquez
"But that is a false analogy."

ACP Chester Williams
"It is the same principle Jules. What is good for you it's also good for the young men. No man it is not a false analogy that the police should have charged for drove unlicensed motor vehicle because x y and z, and I explained to you the situation. Nobody was in the vehicle at the time."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir at the end of the day you all let a vehicle leave this compound that was an unlicensed motor vehicle."

ACP Chester Williams
"I don't know that Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"That is the allegations that has been made."

ACP Chester Williams
"I don't know that breda."

Jules Vasquez
"So then the officer invented that? Sir, you see that you are going against your officers?"

ACP Chester Williams
"No I'm not."

Reporter
"Sir, are you saying that PC Kalis made a false statement made a false report? That official statement that he gave it's a false statement? There are inaccuracies or falsehoods in that report?"

ACP Chester Williams
"Certain things in the statement is not accurate. But I wouldn't go as far as saying that the officer made a false report."

Reporter
"Because his statement is very clear. So what things are accurate what things aren't accurate?"

ACP Chester Williams
"I'm not going to go into details. Like I said, I don't know why we are building a mountain out of mold because the matter has been settled between the parties. The only reason we are making an issue here is because of the political implications."

Reporter
"No, it's the police that are making it look bad with the political implications."

ACP Chester Williams
"No, it's not the police. It's certain elements within the police who want to create mischief."

Jules Vasquez
"It seems you are an orchestrator of arrangements to protect the powerful from criminal charges. It seems like that sir."

Reporter
"Not only that, also your police officers who you are saying engaged in police brutality against citizens."

ACP Chester Williams
"I am not going to dignify any of your last two comments with an answer. I know me and I know what I stand for. That does not mean that I will play into what you want me to say, period full stop."

After that ACP Williams uncharacteristically refused to answer any more questions from the media.

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