St. Croix Teenager Arrested On Domestic Violence Charges When Family Argument Turns Violent

CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix teenager who allegedly knocked down the front door where he lives, assaulted a family member and destroyed a laptop computer was arrested on domestic violence charges on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Josiah Keels, 18, of La Grande Princesse, was arrested at 11 a.m. Thursday and charged with second-degree assault-domestic violence; second-degree burglary-domestic violence and damage to property-domestic violence, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.

Keels was given a mandatory cool-down period by family members, instructed to leave the house he shares after a heated argument, police said.

When he tried to re-enter the home and found he was locked out, he broke down the front door, assaulted someone in the home and flung a nearby laptop computer, destroying it, according to the VIPD.

“Keels assaulted a relative and damaged property of another family member during a disagreement,” VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.

No bail was set for Keels as per the territory’s domestic violence statues. He was remanded to the custody of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections (BOC) pending an advice-of-rights hearing.

All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this news article are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/219180.pdf