By Belize Live News Staff: A retired nurse has become the center of a national firestorm after she was jailed for not paying a $48 bill at a local café.
The incident unfolded at Spoonaz Reggae Café, where 57-year-old Allaire McDougal ordered a meal that included oxtail, rice and beans, fried plantains, a dessert, and a Mackeson stout. But when her debit card failed multiple times and she couldn’t cover the tab, the café called police.
What followed has shocked the nation. McDougal was detained overnight and charged with “obtaining services by deception.” With no one to pay her $500 bail, she was sent to Belize Central Prison.
“I didn’t try to scam anyone. My card didn’t go through, and I didn’t have the money,” McDougal said in an interview. “But the way they treated me—it was like I committed a major crime.”
The case triggered massive backlash online, with many questioning why a small unpaid bill led to jail time. Spoonaz issued a statement after the outrage, saying they never meant to criminalize someone facing hardship and admitting the situation “called for more sensitivity.”
McDougal was eventually released, and the café dropped the charges.
However, the story didn’t end there. News reports soon highlighted McDougal’s troubled past, including a 2012 incident in California where she was found mentally unfit after attempting to drown her young son and then herself. She was institutionalized in the U.S. and later released after being declared stable.
Family members have confirmed McDougal continues to live with severe mental health issues.
While the legal matter may be closed, the incident has opened deeper conversations across Belize about mental illness, empathy, and how society handles those who fall through the cracks.
