FREDERIKSTED — A St. Croix man who dropped into a Concordia gas station to buy some groceries got more than he bargained for when he was slapped in the face multiple times and insulted on Sunday morning, authorities said.
Ervin Noel, Sr., of St. Croix, was arrested Sunday and charged with third-degree assault, simple assault & battery and carrying or using a dangerous weapon, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The adult male victim told police he stopped for groceries at Freedom City Gas Station when an unknown male approached him outside and slapped him two times in the face, court documents filed in Superior Court said.
Officers said they asked the owners of the service station if police could view video surveillance of the incident, according to a sworn police affidavit.
“I observed R.F. (the victim) sitting under the garage while an unknown male, later identified as Mr. Ervin Noel Sr., wearing a long sleeve green shirt and maroon sweatpants approached R.F.,” the probable cause fact sheet states. “R.F. reached out his hand to greet Mr. Noel Sr. and Mr. Noel Sr. pulled back his hand.”
The officer continued to describe what he had seen on the surveillance video, according to court documents.
“Mr. Noel Sr. was walking away, but then turned back and struck R.F. twice in the face with an open palm and he struck R.F.’s left hand,” the probable cause fact sheet states. “While viewing the video footage, I heard Mr. Noel Sr. say: ‘I should slap your motherscunt again.'”
At this point, the officer observed Noel pull out a boxcutter and pointed it at the victim, according to the sworn police affidavit.
When the officer went to Freedom City to view the video surveillance, Noel was still at the gas station, Superior Court documents indicate.
“(The officer) asked him what happened, Mr. Noel Sr. gave a verbal statement where he stated that R.F. was disrespecting his godfather, so he struck him twice in the face,” the probable cause fact sheet states.
Earlier, police said they found the victim at Whim Gardens where R.F. told them that after Noel struck him twice in the face, he asked him if he wanted another slap, but the victim turned away and walked home, according to Superior Court documents.
Officers found no visible injuries to R.F.’s face or hand when they visited him in Estate Whim on Sunday, the sworn police affidavit says.
After speaking to Noel at Freedom City, the suspect was taken to the Wilbur H. Francis Command in Mars Hill where he declined to give a formal statement, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
Noel posted $1,005 bail and was released pending an advice-of-rights hearing yesterday.
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