KINGSHILL — In the courtroom of Magistrate Judge Yolan C. Brow-Ross is scheduled to see five defendants at the Superior Court in Estate Kingshill on St. Croix this morning:
Nyssiah Calderon is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing on a domestic violence charge, specifically 16 V.I. Code § 91(b) doesn’t define a single crime but rather defines “domestic violence” as a category of abusive acts, including assault, battery, stalking, threats, coercion, and property destruction, occurring within specific relationships (family, household members, intimate partners). Committing these acts as domestic violence, as defined in this section, escalates penalties for underlying offenses like assault, making it a serious legal classification for crimes against protected individuals.
What it is:
- A definition of domestic violence under Virgin Islands law.
- It applies to acts against a spouse, former spouse, household member, someone you share a child with, or a current/former intimate partner.
Examples of covered acts (as part of domestic violence):
- Assault & Battery
- Stalking
- Threats
- Coercion
- Destruction of Property
- Unlawful Sexual Contact
Why it matters:
- When these acts are linked to the definition in 16 V.I. Code § 91(b), they often carry enhanced penalties, such as mandatory minimum jail time and higher fines, compared to the same act committed outside of a domestic relationship.
Leopold Gittens III is scheduled for a “status conference” including his attorney Leslie Elizabeth Davis after his arrest on a domestic violence charge, specifically 14 V.I. Code § 1266 defines the crime of “Destruction of other property,” which applies to anyone who maliciously injures or destroys real or personal property that doesn’t belong to them, in situations not covered by other specific laws, with penalties of a fine or jail time. It’s part of the Malicious Mischief chapter, covering general property damage, and has been cited in cases involving domestic violence.
