FREDERIKSTED — Police are investigating after a mature man allegedly “forced” a teenager to touch his private parts.
Adrian Maranda, 53, was arrested and charged with unlawful sexual contact with a minor, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began on December 21, 2023, when a 911 dispatcher got a report of a sexual assault on a 14-year-old female, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Adrian Maranda, 53, of St. Croix.
Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau were assigned to investigate the matter and met with the minor who said that Adrian Maranda made her touch his private parts, police said.
Thereafter, an arrest warrant was issued for Adrian Maranda on September 6, 2024, according to police.
Members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau approached Maranda, and presented him with a copy of the arrest warrant, police said.
Maranda was immediately taken into official custody and charged. He was booked and processed.
Bail for Maranda was set at $60,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility in Golden Grove.
Maranda is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing set in Superior Court tomorrow.