BVI News

Fined for overstaying for months, Hispanic man racks up several traffic violations

A Hispanic man was fined after he was caught overstaying and racking up several traffic-related charges in the British Virgin Islands.

Charged with remaining in the territory without the permission of an Immigration officer, reckless driving, driving an unlicensed vehicle, driving without third party insurance, and driving without a driver’s license, is Felix Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic.

He pleaded guilty to overstaying, driving without a driver’s license and driving an unlicensed vehicle.

On the other hand, he pleaded ‘not guilty’ to reckless driving and driving while not covered by third party insurance when he made his first appearance before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Sentence

Magistrate Samuel Jack Husbands fined Rodriguez $500 for the immigration-related offence. The sum is to be paid by Friday, October 11 or in default the Hispanic offender will spend seven days at Her Majesty’s Prison. He was ordered remanded until the fines are paid.

For the traffic-related offences – driving an unlicensed vehicle without a driver’s license — Magistrate Husbands ordered Rodriguez convicted, reprimanded and discharged. This effectively means he will not receive any further penalty for those offences. 

In the meantime, the offences for which he pleaded not guilty were dismissed.

What the court heard happened

The court heard that on October 7, police were in the vicinity of Digicel’s store on Waterfront Drive when they noticed the offender driving in what they described as a reckless manner.

Police pursued Rodriguez who continued to drive until he arrived at Fleming Street.

He was arrested and brought to the Road Town Police Station after attempts to speak to him was affected by a language barrier.

Further investigations conducted by the police revealed that he was in violation of the traffic and Immigration-related offences.

His passport which was retrieved from his Sea Cows Bay apartment showed that he has been illegal in the territory since March 2.

He was found to have several other travel documents in his possession, the court heard. He was later charged.

I am being abused

Speaking via an interpreter, Rodriguez said he had intentions to leave the territory and had the cash to purchase the ticket.

He explained that he stayed away from his home country because he was being abused by his spouse.

Rodriguez was unrepresented.

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37 Comments

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  1. VI girl says:

    His wife was abusing him, lol. What a crock pot. Well he’s going to be deported so she will have the opportunity to abuse him some more. When you are in a country illegally, behave yourself, stay quiet so you don’t get caught. He is as dumb as he looks

    Like 21
    Dislike 2
  2. son of the soil says:

    Put him on the next available flight

    Like 23
    Dislike 1
  3. Sister of the soil says:

    I am willing to pay for his one way plane ticket back to the DR if the law agree to Fly him out first thing in the Morning. He was a danger to the BVI and the community he lived in. Lame excuse, his wife was abusing him in the DR.

    Like 31
  4. Shocked says:

    Immigration does still deport people? And it have a vincentian man here over staying since 2013! Smdh

  5. I'm shocked says:

    Immigration does still deport people? And it have a vincentian man here over staying since 2013! Smdh

  6. @Shocked says:

    Why you had to call out/put the man on blast like that. I know who the person is but it is none of my business. That is on him and if he get caught, he have to deal with the after effects.

    Like 27
    Dislike 2
    • I know one thing says:

      I live in D3 and I don’t want to see him down here again. Look at how the Government is allowing these low life uneducated no skills Santos destroy the Country.

      Like 29
      Dislike 5
    • Anddd says:

      If I was in his and the rest of the illegals in the Country shoes I would always be looking over my shoulder wondering if and when they are going to swoop me up.

      Like 19
  7. A New Paradigm? says:

    Once upon ah time, Immigration use to be very serious affair. It was a fear people lived with daily. Immigration use to make periodic searches, round ups and deportations. That was normal operating procedures in the BVI and USVI.

    Immigration, the word and the men, came with a fear. There was respect for that institution back then. You either got straight quickly, you left, lay low in real fear and wait to be caught.

    Today, immigration is a nameless person at port of entry and in an office pushing a piece of paper, and an institution that carreis no weight with regards to law enforcement. It enforces and uphols no law, soverign or border protection authority anymore.

    Migration/immigration is now big business. Every person that now enters is a $ sign. That is the new paradigm.

    Like 23
  8. St.Thomas says:

    I remember not to long ago there use to be a immigration wagon picking up illegals. They use to go through the neighborhoods and the illegals use to be jumping out Windows to get away.

    Like 24
    Dislike 1
    • Yeah I remember says:

      It was blue. I use to live hospital ground and there was a lot of illegals living in that area. That van come through, People would scatter left and right trying to hide.

      Like 12
  9. Father Time says:

    The police said “this n***a don’t even speak english” and just arrested him on the spot. I am inconsolable.

    Like 5
    Dislike 1
  10. True says:

    In the USVI and the States the illegals fear Immigration or the word.In the US, the illegals stay as low as possible.Some get caught because of stupidity like this one. You in a Country illegal, you stay as low as you can under the radar. You don’t bring any type of heat to yourself.

    Like 21
  11. really says:

    why is it when other country deport illegal people is fine, but when trump does if for his country its inhuman,

    Like 4
    Dislike 11
    • No Hon says:

      I live in the USA, Everyday illegals is getting deported out of the US.ie..Santo Domingo, South America, Italy, Carribean Islands, China you name it. Everyday Homeland Security and ICE is escorting illegals to the plane back to there homelands. Once they get deported, they are ban from the US for 10 years.

      Like 21
  12. I'll say says:

    There famous words. ME NO PEKE ENGLEE. THE IMMIGRATION REALLY NEED TO DO A SWEEP IN SEA COWS BAY. SEA COWS BAY USE TO BE A NICE PLEASANT VILLAGE. SEA COWS BAY IS NOW STARTING TO LOOK REALLY GHETTO.

    Like 28
    • Oh jeeze says:

      Immigration do a SWEEP down Sea Cows Bay,the detention center will run out of space. LOL,Sea Cows Bay AKA Little DR.

      Like 19
      Dislike 2
    • Culture Shock says:

      When I came back home for a visit, I was shock to see how much Sea Cows Bay have changed. Outside the few people that I knew, I don’t know half of the new faces. Sorry Guys, Sea Cows Bay is looking a bit ghettoish.

      Like 13
      Dislike 1
    • Father Time says:

      This is exactly why IMMIGRANTS do not want to live among you a**holes. Because a certain group of people live in one area, that makes it ghetto? And for the ones who don’t live here, you probably live in the ghetto part of whatever country you decided to migrate to. A**holes.

  13. @I'll say says:

    It is true.There is a lot of nice homes but the village is starting to look ghettofied.

    Like 17
  14. He has to go says:

    He is a perfect example of the lack of respect those people have for another man’s Country. Tortola seriously need to get more strick and keep tabs on who is comming in the Country. They can’t speak the language but they know how to count that American dollar and mess up people marriage.

    Like 20
  15. CW says:

    Look at all these bigoted comments AND people making light of domestic violence. SHAME ON YOU STRUPES. None of you know what this man go thru. I BET YOU ALL CLAIM TO BE GOD FEARING CHRISTIAN- WHERE IS YOUR HEART AND CHARITY FOR THOSE LESS FORTUNATE.

    STRUPE = BVI HYPOCRITE

    Like 2
    Dislike 7
    • @CW says:

      Go enjoy your Sunday dinner of fried pork, beans and rice and fried plantains. It is the truth what is being said and people is fustrated.

      Like 5
      Dislike 1
    • @CW says:

      Maybe you are one of the local idiots who is married to to a Santo who is looking for papers/belongers status. You are one of the biggest hypocrites the BVI has turned out so far unless you are one of the overstayers waiting for your come up.

      Like 5
      Dislike 1
  16. They are not...... says:

    These people is not helping build the Country or the economy. They are here to suck as much as they can out of the Country.Since when does doing hair, cutting grass, working the pole,serving rum to the local drunks and plotting to mess up relationships boosting the local economy. Yes, they messed up Sea Cows Bay. Drive through Sea Cows Bay and you will see the decline of the village. Starting to look like a Third World Ghetto area.

    Like 9
    Dislike 2
  17. Live in District 3 says:

    I also worry about the people with the nice homes property value dropping. So embrassing the village I grew up in is now known as Little Santo Domingo.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  18. The BVI is the first step says:

    Illegals knows that the BVI is very easy to get into and get lost in the sauce. They know there is no one keeping track of them unless they get in trouble or commit a crime then the law start scrambling.

  19. mmario says:

    I was born in Santo or whatever you want to call it. I do agree that if you leave it up to the Santo’s they will take over and spoil it for everyone. I’m Belonger or whatever they want to call that, When i arrived in the BVI a while back I had a job and had little to do with the Santo’s or anyone with sketchy behavior. I even ended up working in the court system with a English prosecutor at the time Ana Luis Robinson they even wanted me to join the force which i rejected. After a while i decided that the BVI was not for me I went elsewhere I have not looked back since…Not to say that the BVI is a bad place its that at the time I felt things where too slow for me.

    Looking back if I would have stayed I would impacted Tola in a positive way b/c of my background With the Caribbean community specially with the so Call Santo’s. Again, I was born in Santo but if you see me down the street you wont even think at first glance that I was born in Santo and the reason for it is that i can speak english better that any so call I born here i’m also fluent in spanish as it was my first language. Often time people tell me that i’m not a Santo even when i show them my birth certificate…It hurts me when I see Santo’s taken into custody for wrong doing I blame it to ignorance. Everywhere in the world you will find illegal people some places more than other. One of the smartest men in the Island is Quito Rhymer, I met Quito back in the 90 I admire that guy… Like Every where, there are good and bad people…that is part of life.

  20. mmario says:

    The sooner you deport this dude the better.

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