Coast Guard Member and another Man Charged in $46,000 Pickup Theft

Two men, including a member of the Belize Coast Guard, have been remanded to prison after being charged with aggravated burglary in connection with the theft of a forty-six-thousand-dollar pickup truck in Hattieville, Belize District.  Forty-six-year-old Alberto Arreaza, a salesman, manager and farmer from Teakettle Village, and twenty-nine-year-old Coast Guard member Sheffan Devan Hemmans appeared in Magistrate’s Court this morning. Both men pleaded not guilty to a single count of aggravated burglary.  The allegation is that on Thursday, August 20, the men entered the home of Randy King in the Belize American New Site area at Mile 17 while armed with a firearm. During this week’s police briefing, ASP Stacey Smith provided preliminary details of the investigation.

ACP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “Police have formally arrested and charged 29-year-old Sheffna Hemans, a Belizean Coast Guard officer and 26-year-old Alberto Arteaga, a laborer for the crime of aggravated burglary. The arrest of Hemans and Arteaga follows the ongoing investigation into an aggravated burglary report made by a Hattieville resident who reported to police that at around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday he was at his residence when two masked male persons, one of whom was armed with a firearm, entered his residence and demanded that he hand over the key for a black in color 2026 Wingle pickup truck. He complied with this request and the male persons made off with the vehicle. Having been advised of this occurrence, the department’s standard operating procedures were activated and this proved successful as at approximately 9:45 p.m the operational team in Santa Rosa in Western Belize intercepted the black in color Wingle pickup truck and also observed at that time was another vehicle which sped off. The vehicle was pursued and onboard that vehicle was Mr.Hemans and a search of Mr. Hemans resulted additionally led to the discovery of fifty live rounds of .22 LR ammunition. Consequently Mr. Hemmons was additionally charged for kept ammunition without a gun license.”

The alleged involvement of Hemmans has also prompted a response from the Belize Coast Guard. Rear Admiral Greg Soberanis addressed the matter today.

Gregory Soberanis, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard: “We received a report, a call really ,from the police department that they had detained one Mr. Hemans, a member of the Belize Coast Guard in an operation that was conducted out west where the police were on a mission to intercept two vehicles that were stolen. One vehicle that was stolen was a vehicle for a member of the Belize Coast Guard and while conducting that operation police intercepted the vehicle that belonged to the member of the Belize Coast Guard and in the process one Seaman Hemans was detained by members of the police team. We are not aware of any tension between Hermans and the victim whose vehicle was stolen. Perhaps there is but at this time I’m not aware of any tensions or any type of misunderstanding between the two individuals. The Belize Coast Guard we do not intervene in a police investigation or a police proceedings when one of our members is detained. Any alleged action of misconduct of any Coast Guard member that becomes a police matter we allow for due process to take its course and while the matter will be dealt with in the courts internally administrative disciplinary proceedings will also take place for the individual. But we support the police investigation. We support the police executing their duties through like I said due process and this for us a member of the Coast Guard who gets involved in this kind of activity for us it does not negate the collective good of the men and women who continue to serve and are dedicated to the mission and mandate of the Belize Coast Guard.”

Since the offence involved a firearm, the Magistrate explained that the lower court could not offer bail. Arreaza and Hemmans were remanded to the Belize Central Prison and advised that they may apply to the High Court if they wish to seek bail before the ninety-day period.  They are scheduled to return to court on October twentieth for disclosure.