FREDERIKSTED — Police responding to an emergency dispatch from a woman claiming to have been assaulted by her boyfriend was herself arrested on domestic violence-related charges, authorities said.
Jazmari Bermudez, of St. Croix, was arrested and charged with destruction to other’s property-domestic violence, disturbance of the peace by fighting, carrying or using a dangerous weapon and third-degree assault, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began when officers were dispatched to the shanty near Mount Pleasant Apartments to “render police assistance to Ms. Jazmari Bermudez in reference to her boyfriend assaulting her,” according to the VIPD.
The first thing officers did when they arrived in Mount Pleasant-West at 9:45 a.m. on November 15 was to “retrieve two knives” from Bermudez’s hand, Superior Court documents show.
“Ms. Jazmari Bermudez voluntarily stated that on November 15, 2022, at approximately 9:30 a.m., she was lying on her bedroom bed next to her boyfriend R.S. (name redacted) while he was texting on his phone,” the probable cause fact sheet states. “Ms. Jazmari Bermudez stated that she got upset and broke R.S.’s cellular phone on the bedroom floor.”
At this point, Bermudez got up suddenly and left the bedroom, the sworn VIPD affidavit says.
“Ms. Jazmari Bermudez stated that she went to the kitchen, grabbed two knives and went up to R.S.’s face pointing the two knives to his face telling him that she will stab him,” the probable cause fact sheet states. “Ms. Jazmari Bermudez stated that she then went outside to R.S.’s vehicle and punctured the right rear tire of his vehicle.”
Officers also interviewed the boyfriend, R.S.
“R.S. stated that Ms. Jazmari Bermudez got upset with him when he was texting about some jewelry with his cousin, so she managed to take his phone from him, and broke it on the bedroom floor,” the probable cause fact sheet states.
The boyfriend admitted that he fought with his girlfriend in the kitchen when she went to get the two knives, according to Superior Court documents.
“R.S. stated that Ms. Jazmari Bermudez went up close to him with the knives pointing to his face telling him that she will stab him,” the probable cause fact sheet states. “R.S. stated that Ms. Jazmari Bermudez then went outside and he saw when she punctured his right rear tire with one of the knives and she left the area.”
The boyfriend’s brother told police that he was on the scene when the unnamed man and Bermudez interacted and confirmed the events as described to police, the sworn VIPD affidavit says.
Bermudez was scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court on Wednesday.
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