By Belize Live News Staff: A theft at a Nuevo San Juan Village farm was reported, investigated, and answered with a charge inside a single day, with the stolen solar lights recovered and a 24-year-old man now facing the court.
According to the Belize Police Department, a 56-year-old farmer of the village reported on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at about 10:00 a.m., that he had left his farm on the outskirts of Nuevo San Juan on Monday night at about 11:30 p.m. with his property in place: two black solar lights and their panel, valued at $300, one attached to a post near the small board and zinc house on the farm, the other fixed to a piece of lumber attached to the house.
At 5:00 a.m., he received a call from a relative informing him that the solar lights were missing. His physical checks confirmed the loss, and he reported the matter to police, naming a suspect and requesting court action.
The investigation moved swiftly. Statements were recorded from the complainant and a witness, and the property, both solar lights along with the solar panel, was recovered and photographed by scenes of crime personnel.
Police then swore to an information and complaint, obtained a warrant in the first instance, and formally arrested and charged Jorge David Mendez, a 24-year-old Belizean labourer of Nuevo San Juan Village, with the crime of theft. Cautioned, he chose to remain silent.
For the farmer, the outcome is the one every theft victim hopes for and few receive: the property back, and the matter in the court’s hands within a day of the loss.
