$10,000 Bail for $1,200 Con

He's accused of forging just under $1,200 in checks, and a Belize City stevedore was hit with a $10,000 bail for it. Tonight, that stevedore 49-year-old Gilberto Rusford has been sent to jail, because he was unable to meet the steep bail. Magistrate Roberto Ordonez read him three counts each of uttering and then claiming upon a forged document and four counts of handling stolen goods. The police allege that in October of last year, Rusford stole four checks form a pair of Mennonite businessmen. He then allegedly used the checks to go on quite the shopping spree, buying $1,135 worth of groceries at X-tra house, Public's and Wellworth between October 26th and November first. Police have recovered all those checks and are referencing them against a specimen signature they elicited from Rusford. Rusford has 8 prior convictions for similar offences.