Tourist fakes robbery, fined $100

The arrest of a suspect in the Cayo robberies will go a long way toward easing the fears of visitors to Belize who want to experience the wonders of the west. And while authorities are doing all they can to minimize crimes against tourists, occasionally a tourist is the one committing the crime. That's what happened on Sunday morning in Belize City. According to police, a tourist from California, twenty-four year old Camelia Patino, reported to police constable Rene Cu that while using a pay phone on North Front Street someone reached into her backpack and stole a camera worth five hundred dollars. We're not sure whether Cu had heard this story before or the young woman's actions made him suspicious ... but whatever the reason, the sceptical officer decided to take a look inside Patino's backpack. Lo and behold, when he opened the zipper there was the "stolen" camera. The woman was arrested on the spot and charged with "committing a mischievous act." Patino pled guilty, paid a hundred dollar fine and took off for parts unknown. Presumably she made the false report in order to file a bogus insurance claim upon her return to the U.S.A.