FREDERIKSTED — A former police officer barked out the command that he thought his wife would be dressed “inappropriately” if she left the house in the clothes she was wearing.
The result? The husband is now charged with domestic violence-related charges for allegedly brutalizing the woman.
Samuel Menzies, 51, was arrested and charged with simple assault & battery-domestic violence, and destruction to property-domestic violence, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The charges stem from a domestic violence call reported to police at 9:45 a.m. yesterday, according to the VIPD.
The victim told Patrol Division officers that while she was preparing to go to work, her husband, Samuel Menzies, told her to change her attire because he felt it was inappropriate for her workplace, police said.
Menzies then entered the bedroom, grabbed her and dragged her into the living room, where he threw her on the couch and struck her on her forearms four times, according to police.
The victim stated that Menzies then picked her up, dragged her back into the bedroom and used a pair of cutting shears to cut her leggings, police said.
The victim stated that she then fled in fear for her safety, ran to a neighbor’s house and made contact with law enforcement, according to police.
No bail was offered to Menzies in keeping with the territory’s domestic violence statutes.
The suspect was read his Miranda Rights, booked and processed.
Menzies was transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility in Estate Golden Grove.
He was scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court at Estate Kingshill this morning.
In 2002, Menzies joined the ranks of local law enforcement when he became a member of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority Police.
