Charles Richard Augus Fined After Choking Woman in Belize City Altercation

Twenty-seven-year-old Charles Richard August, a resident of Caribbean Shores, has been fined $305 after pleading guilty to common assault for choking a woman during an altercation last week. August appeared before Magistrate Ludlow Black, where he was read a single charge of common assault upon Shatel Simms, stemming from an incident on Monday, July 28. August wasted no time and pleaded guilty. While the magistrate acknowledged that this was his first conviction for this type of offense and that he accepted responsibility early, he noted the seriousness of the attack. The court considered it a violent and dangerous act, particularly because the report stated that August choked the woman, which could have ended fatally. Despite the aggravating nature of the assault, Magistrate Black imposed a non-custodial sentence. He was fined $300, along with a $5 court fee, giving him until August 15 to pay. In default, he will serve three months in prison. Though August avoided jail time in this case, he is no stranger to the courts. In November 2023, he pleaded guilty to theft of $2,450 from Keinen Bermudez and was fined $1,000 plus court costs. In December 2022, August and his then-girlfriend, Eloise Baldarez, were remanded to prison on charges of keeping an unlicensed firearm and ammunition after police discovered a .22 revolver and six live rounds in their possession. They were jointly charged and denied bail at the time.