KINGSHILL– A St. Croix man has been charged in a sexual assault after an arrest warrant was issued earlier this summer, authorities said.
Lerone Smith Jr. 29, was arrested today and charged with second-degree rape, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The charge stems from a sexual assault of a minor female was reported to 911 emergency dispatchers on January 27, 2025, according to the VIPD.
A member of the Criminal Investigation Bureau was assigned to investigate this matter, and
information was disclosed that Lerone Smith Jr. sexually assaulted the minor female, police said.
After the completion of this investigation, an arrest warrant was signed by an Honorable Judge of
the Superior Court on June 5, 2025, according to police.
Detectives attempted to make contact with Smith Jr., but were unsuccessful in locating him, police said.
“Therefore, a wanted person poster was aired via social media, and news platforms to aid in the apprehension of Lerone Smith Jr.,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
Members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau apprehended Smith today “without incident,” according to Chichester.
Smith was taken into official custody, booked and processed.
His bail was set at $75,000.00. 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.
Smith is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court at Kingshill on Monday.