Convicted Thief Detained Under State of Emergency

A Belize City man who was previously accused of impersonating a police officer is tonight behind bars under the current State of Emergency after being convicted in court for stealing bottles of liquor from a supermarket on Central American Boulevard.  Thirty-one-year-old Dorian Emmanuel Blair appeared unrepresented this morning before Senior Magistrate Mannon Dennison in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where he was charged with a single count of theft.  Blair wasted no time in pleading guilty to the charge. He was accused of stealing two one-liter bottles of Tropical Brandy Rum valued at just under sixty-two dollars from Bosco Store on Saturday, May 10.  In mitigation, Blair told the court that he has been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and pleaded for leniency. He told the Magistrate that he had never committed an offense like this before and admitted responsibility for his actions.  The court fined Blair three hundred dollars plus five dollars in court costs, which he must pay by July 31. If he defaults on payment, he will serve two months in prison.  However, despite avoiding immediate jail time for the theft conviction, Blair was not released. According to court reports, the incident unfolded on Saturday morning when store employee Gian Carlo Wu reviewed surveillance footage that showed Blair concealing a bottle of rum in his clothing before leaving without paying. About two hours later, the same man reportedly returned wearing the same clothing and allegedly stole another bottle of rum. Wu reportedly chased after Blair and detained him not far from the store before handing him over to police.