Trial of Three San Pedro men accused of shooting at fishermen and burning their boat deferred to 2027

By Breaking Belize News Staff: The trial of three San Pedro residents accused of pursuing and firing at two fishermen before allegedly setting their boat ablaze has been pushed into the High Court’s 2027 criminal calendar.

John Hernandez, 26, Shelby Jonathan Hernandez, 22, and Hector Pop, 29, appeared before Justice Nigel Pilgrim on Wednesday, July 22. The judge informed the accused men that the court’s remaining 2026 trial calendar was full and their case could not proceed until sometime in 2027.

The matter was adjourned until September 16, 2026, for mention, when the court is expected to consider a tentative trial date.

The three men are jointly charged with one count of arson and two counts of aggravated assault stemming from an incident on July 31, 2024, in the Tranquility Bay area of northern Ambergris Caye.

According to reports published shortly after the incident, then-23-year-old fisherman Eliezer Aldana and another man were fishing at around 4:30 a.m. when they were intercepted by a boat carrying four men. The men allegedly threatened the fishermen and ordered them to leave the area.

When Aldana attempted to leave, the other vessel allegedly pursued them while its occupants fired several shots in their direction. The fishermen were not injured and managed to reach a nearby resort, where they sought refuge.

The prosecution alleges that the fishermen’s 18-foot white boat, named La Gringa, was subsequently taken farther out to sea and deliberately set on fire. The burning vessel reportedly drifted onto the beach and sank before it was later recovered and taken to a mechanic shop.

The boat was valued at $21,000.

Public reports indicate that John Hernandez and Pop were the first two men taken before the court in August 2024 in connection with the incident. They were represented at the time by attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington, who indicated that he would apply for bail on their behalf.

John Hernandez and Pop are presently out on bail. Shelby Hernandez remains on remand in connection with a separate case in which he is charged with the March 2026 murders of Karim Nazim Espat, Oscar Modesto Mas and Yerlin Marisol Bueso Alvarez in San Pedro. No plea has been taken in that matter.

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