CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A registered sex offender was arrested on St. Thomas by Virgin Islands Deptartment of Justice (VIDOJ) Special Agents (SID) and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) unit, authorities said.
Robert S. Bastian, 65, was arrested for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the Virgin Islands, V.I. Attorney General Ariel Smith said.
Bastian is a Tier 3 registered offender who failed to update and appear on January 05, 2024, at the
VIDOJ or any time thereafter, to update his registration information, as required by law. VIDOJ
agents arrested Bastian on January 29th at his residence in Hospital Ground, without incident.
VIDOJ mug shot of Robert S. Bastian, 65, on St. Thomas.
Bastian appeared in Superior Court on January 30 before Magistrate Judge Paula D. Norkaitis. Judge Norkaitis found probable cause to charge Bastian with Failure to Register as a
Sex Offender V.I.C. § 1722.
A $10,000 bond was paid by Bastian however, his defense attorney requested that a secure bond of $5,000 be returned to him. Judge Norkaitis allowed half that bond of $10,000; $5,000 to be returned to Bastian. Judge Norkaitis also stated that Bastian must register at the DOJ office on the 5th of every three months as scheduled, failure to do so will result in his arrest.
Bastian was convicted in Superior Court in August 2002, for the crime of first-degree unlawful sexual
contact, kidnapping. Pursuant to Chapter 86, Section 1722 of Title 14 of the V.I. Code
Bastian is required to register as a sex offender with the Virgin Islands Department of Justice
and keep his registration current.
He is registered as a Tier 3 sex offender and therefore required to appear once every 90 days from his initial registration date throughout his lifetime.