Baldy Beacon Breach Puts Elvin Penner Back in Spotlight

Tonight, former minister Elvin Penner finds himself back in the spotlight, this time under police investigation. Authorities say he allegedly entered a restricted explosives destruction site at Baldy Beacon and tried to take materials from an active operation. The Ministry of National Defense has now made it official, filing a report, and police are moving ahead with their probe into what exactly happened.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“As it relates to the inquiry in relation to Mr. Penner, I can confirm that the department has received a report and two statements and those are being reviewed in light of the Dangerous Goods Act.”

 

Reporter

“What kind of Charged can be brought by Mr. Penner in light of what he did?”

 

ASP Stacy Smith

“As I stated, the statements have been received and they are being reviewed in relation to the act. I am not able to say at this point until the investigation reviews the statements and the act to see if the elements of any of the offenses are there.”

 

Penner maintains that he did nothing wrong and simply thought the components he picked up were abandoned.

 

BDF Holds Consultation with Baldy Beacon Landowners

 

After days of concern from residents and landowners in the Baldy Beacon area, following a wildfire sparked during a Belize Defense Force exercise to destroy unexploded ordnances, the BDF says it is now strengthening communication with those affected. Commandant Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez says he personally met with representatives of the landowners on Friday, where both sides discussed the damage, the dangers posed by unexploded military devices and the need for faster coordination moving forward. The BDF says while the destruction exercises were carried out for public safety, it recognizes the importance of keeping nearby residents better informed and involved. Here’s more from the General.

 

Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commandant, Belize Defense Force

“Friday, I was there at Baldy Beacon and I met with a representative of the landowners in the area and we had a very good discussion about moving forward and explaining our position to them and their position to us. And the feedback that I got was that everyone – the landowners were grateful that we were there destroying the unexploded devices that were found, that were a danger to their children and to their family and to themselves. So BDF found many of these items and some of these people reported it, and we removed it from the area and then we were destroying it. So we were doing all this destruction for the greater good of the general public. We have developed some methods of communicating better with the landowners.”

 

Reporter

“Since Friday?”

 

Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez

“Since Friday. Okay. We have also been communicating, but we have established a greater and easier method of communication and we ask them to anytime they find any unexploded device, please inform us and we will give them our contacts and we will make some flyers and give it out to them so that the communication is there a hundred percent and steady. So we take it very seriously that any unexploded devices that are found, that they should report it to Belize Defense Force and we will send a team out to either destroy it in place or remove it and destroy it at a later date.”

 

Brigadier General Velasquez says while he understands the criticism on the choice to conduct the exercise during the dry season, the roads to the area are extremely treacherous during the wet season and transporting dated unexploded devices at such time would be extremely dangerous.  

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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