Woman Charged After Alleged Defamatory Facebook Live Video

A Belize City businessman has reported being the target of defamatory statements made on social media, leading to the arrest and charging of a woman in connection with the incident.  Police say that on March 18, Kenyon Lee Flowers, a forty-five-year-old businessman of Buttonwood Bay Boulevard, visited the Ladyville Crimes Investigation Branch to report a Facebook Live video in which allegations were made against him.  According to Flowers, the live broadcast was shared with him by a relative and featured two women, one of whom he identified as Teresita Moody, with whom he is currently involved in an ongoing land dispute before the court. During the livestream, statements were allegedly made accusing Flowers of threatening behavior, claims he strongly denies and says have caused him emotional distress.  Authorities report that following the complaint, investigators recorded statements, gathered supporting documents, and retrieved video footage from the social media broadcast as part of their investigation.  Police say that on March 26, Sheraine Sutherland, a police officer attached to the department, formally arrested and charged Teresita Moody with two counts of using a computer system to disseminate a false statement.  She was cautioned and subsequently granted bail by a Justice of the Peace.