A San Felipe man sentenced for breach of protection order will spend the next 10 months and 2 weeks in prison. Maribello Hilberto Gonzalez, 25, received the sentence after pleading guilty to multiple charges in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court.
The court arraigned Gonzalez late Friday because no magistrate was available in Orange Walk. He stood before a Senior Magistrate in Court #6 and pleaded guilty to damage to property and violating a protection order.
The incident occurred on April 8, 2025. According to court reports, Gonzalez became intoxicated and damaged several household items. These included a $1,000 Mabe refrigerator, two plastic chairs worth $70, and a brown basket valued at $20. All items belonged to a relative.
Despite a protection order issued by the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court on March 11, 2025, Gonzalez entered his mother’s house. He claimed she had invited him to eat and wash clothes. However, the court saw this as a clear violation of the one-year protection order.
In his defense, Gonzalez admitted being drunk and blamed a confrontation with his brother-in-law for triggering the violence. He asked the court for leniency and requested to pay a fine instead. However, the magistrate highlighted his prior convictions, which included similar charges.
As a result, the San Felipe man sentenced for breach of protection order received 6 months for property damage and 7 months and 2 weeks for violating the order. Both sentences will run concurrently.
Additionally, Gonzalez failed to pay a previous $505 fine for property damage in Orange Walk. That added 3 more months to his sentence. Altogether, he now faces 10 months and 2 weeks behind bars.
He also owes another $305 fine for drug possession, though no arrest warrant has been issued yet.
