Accused in handling stolen goods case unable to avoid jail

By Aaron Humes: 42-year-old Kareem Jason Flowers, a labourer of Vernon Street, Belize City, has been charged with handling stolen goods.

Allegations are that on March 31 at Vernon Street he dishonestly assisted in the retention of a pink mini washing machine valued at $85; a yellow $30 speakers; a $25 Electric Cord; a white and green Proctor Select iron valued at $50, a black Mega fan valued at $90; and an Ultra Beautiful Facial Cleaner valued at $60, all to a total of $340, property of Mia Gilharry.

Flowers initially pleaded guilty with an explanation, saying that he was walking home from the Swing Bridge when he met a friend who asked him to hold some items for him as he didn’t feel safe with leaving them in his yard. Flowers said he believed his friend’s excuses were genuine and so he decided to help him by holding the items for him claiming that he had no knowledge that the items at the time were stolen. He denied paying for the items, receiving money for the items or directly stealing the items himself.

But the court could not accept his guilty plea since the essential element of the offense has not been met, being he had to have know or had knowledge of the items being stolen.

Flowers then changed his story, claiming he had knowledge of the items being stolen and that he just cannot go to jail given his circumstances. He worried that his own house will be burglarized and all his items will be stolen.

The court offered bail of $800 and one surety of the same amount, subject to avoiding the complainant and other witnesses and reporting to Queen Street Police Station every Friday beginning April 12, 2024.

However as of Friday evening he was unable to post bail and was remanded to prison until he can do so. Flowers returns to court on June 5, 2024.

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