Accused in vehicle heist fined

Posted: Friday, April 5, 2019. 7:37 p.m. CST.

By Aaron Humes: Jaleel Goodger, 23, pleaded guilty to the theft of a $16,000 Saturn VUE SUV in June of 2017.

Surveillance footage captured Goodger as the person who drove up to the Baron Bliss Lighthouse and exited a vehicle driven by another man. There he placed a car battery into the SUV belonging to Turner so it could be moved, then later drove off with the vehicle which did not belong to him.

Vehicle owner, Linda Turner, had parked the SUV in the Hudson Street compound of Marine and Services Limited before going out to socialize at Sit and Sip Bar further up the Barracks. Goodger’s trial began in 2018 and this week, during the third witness’ testimony on the witness stand before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford, Goodger suddenly changed his plea to guilty, claiming he had been set up.

Goodger says his “boss” threatened to fire him if he did not steal the vehicle.

In accepting his guilty plea, Senior Magistrate Ford explained to Goodger that his confession statement had already been admitted into evidence against him so the evidence against him was overwhelming and he would have been found guilty at any rate.

But since he accepted responsibility and this is his first offense, she imposed a non-custodial sentence of a fine of $2,000 plus a $5.00 cost of court fine which she ordered him to pay by August 5, 2019, in default, 1 year imprisonment.

The vehicle itself has not been recovered.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

© 2019, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.