Court Visit Turns Costly for Manslaughter Accused  

A young man from Lord’s Bank is spending the night behind bars after showing up at court, only to find out he was already wanted. Twenty-year-old Oscar Alexander Galindo walked into the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this morning to ask about his case, but what he didn’t know was that a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest weeks ago. That warrant was issued back in July after Galindo failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing. So, when he showed up today, court officers wasted no time detaining him. He was quickly brought before a magistrate and is now on remand at the Belize Central Prison until his next court date on September fifth. Inside the courtroom, Galindo told the magistrate he had actually come to court in July and was given a new date for August, but he couldn’t remember when. That’s why he came in today to check. Galindo is facing serious charges stemming from a deadly traffic accident in April. He was first arraigned on April eighth for four traffic offenses, including manslaughter by negligence and causing death by careless conduct. Police say he was behind the wheel during a crash that killed nineteen-year-old Denia Ashanti Rowland, a call center agent from Lord’s Bank. The vehicle reportedly flipped several times, throwing Rowland from the car and killing her on the spot.