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| Police escort robbery suspect Gary Horth to
the station
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What began as
a quiet Tuesday afternoon for the employees of the San Pedro Branch of Atlantic
Bank Limited soon turned to chaos and pandemonium, as a "client turned crook"
and tried to rob the bank in broad daylight. News spread
like wildfire through the town and soon hundreds of people were at the scene of
the crime trying to get a glimpse of the robber. When the San Pedro Police led
the criminal from the bank, the murmurs of those gathered grew even louder, as
they found out that the culprit was a Canadian whom many had known as an
ordinary, decent individual who had arrived in San Pedro only a few months ago.
According to the police, at approximately 1:35 p.m. on
November 13th, 2001 the
manager of the Atlantic Bank came running into the station, informing them that
there was a hold up at the bank. The police responded immediately and arrived on
the scene to find the bank security guard pointing a gun at the suspect. The
assailant's name was discovered to be Gary Daniel Horth, a forty-three year old
Canadian, who arrived in Belize by way of the northern border on August
30th, 2001.
The police informed the San Pedro
Sun that, according to bank personnel, the robber asked for the
manager and was escorted to his office. He then closed the door and informed the
manager that, "this is a hold up." He had a note containing the following
instructions: "US Dollars - 100, 30 - 40,000. Belize 100 - ?" The note also
stated, "Under no circumstances do you alert the police or your staff. There is
a shooter in the bank and one out the bank. We have families too and have no
plans of going to jail. Your immediate family will be watch for 2 hours. Do not
let anyone know of robbery for 2 hours. Understand - Not a game only
business." At press time, police were still
investigating the matter and the San Pedro Sun
was told that Gary Daniel Horth would possibly be charged for attempted robbery
and taken to Magistrate's Court in Belize City. If convicted, he could be
sentenced to five years imprisonment. The San Pedro Sun also learned that the robber was armed only with a flashlight wrapped in
a Handi-wipe (magitel) secured by tape. Thanks to the
quick action of the bank manager and the San Pedro Police, no money was stolen
and no one was hurt during the hold up.
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