She was facing three months on remand, but tonight 22 year old Lattiana Choc is back home with her five month old child. Choc is the young mother and University of Belize student who was charged for keeping an licensed firearm and unlicensed ammunition after a nine milimeter pistol and ten live rounds were found in her apartment. Under the strict new gun laws, bail was not an option and she was remanded to prison with no possibility of bail for three months.
But there has been a breakthrough. At 3:50 this afternoon in the Supreme Court, her attorney Dickie Bradley successfully made a case for bail before Justice Samuel Awich. He told Justice Awich that Choc is still breastfeeding and she is a university student but more than that, she is innocent.
Justice Awich granted choc bail of $2,000 plus two sureties one thousand dollars. With that, at 4:00pm, a removal order was expedited for Choc’s release from prison. Her bail though isn’t without conditions. She has to surrender her travel documents and she must report to the Ladyville Police Station every Saturday at 9.
