CRUZ BAY — A St. John man accused of a series of rapes and child abuse over a three-year period has voluntarily surrendered to police without incident, authorities said.
Leopold “Stretch” Chinnery Jr., 40, of Estate Adrian, was arrested about 6:30 a.m. today and charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated rape, six counts of first-degree unlawful sexual contact, two counts of child abuse, and two counts of aggravated child abuse and neglect, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
“Chinnery is accused of various acts that occurred between 2016 and 2018,” VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.
The Superior Court of the Virgin Islands issued an arrest warrant in Chinnery’s name and the suspect turned himself in to police when he learned that he was wanted, Derima said.
Bail for Chinnery was set at $150,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
Chinnery said on social media that he used to work for the Westin St. John Resort & Spa in Cruz Bay.
All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.