A resident of Alta Vista in Belize’s Stann Creek District is calling for accountability and transparency from local law enforcement after authorities allegedly lost his motor vehicle, the only transportation he relies on for his job, following a May 2026 hit-and-run collision.
Jose Luis Johnson, the affected complainant, told local reporters that the incident unfolded on the evening of May 23, when he was traveling back to his Alta Vista home after finishing a work shift in the nearby coastal community of Hopkins. While he was riding his motorcycle along his route, another vehicle struck him and fled the scene before emergency responders or law enforcement arrived.
By the time police from the Dangriga Police Department arrived at the crash site, the at-fault driver had already disappeared, leaving only Johnson and his damaged motorcycle behind. Law enforcement officials made the decision to impound the two-wheeler at the local police station, a move Johnson initially accepted as standard protocol. But months later, the resident has still not been able to retrieve his property, despite repeated trips to the station to ask for updates.
Johnson claims that every time he arrives to ask about his motorcycle, department staff redirect him from one officer to another, never providing a clear answer about where the vehicle is being held or what happened to it after it was taken into police custody. Compounding the frustration, Johnson says that two department officers originally promised to visit his home to take his official statement about the hit-and-run attack, but they never showed up for the scheduled meeting and have not followed up with him in the months since.
The disappearance of the motorcycle has created major disruptions to Johnson’s daily life and livelihood. As the only form of transportation he owns, the loss has left him unable to travel to his workplace in Hopkins, putting his job and income at serious risk. Now, Johnson is not only demanding that police take responsibility for misplacing his property and help him locate or recover the motorcycle, he is also calling for answers about the ongoing investigation into the hit-and-run itself. To date, he says, there has been no word of any suspect being identified or held accountable for the crash that left him injured and stranded.