FREDERIKSTED — Police are investigating after a St. Croix man was accused of hitting his own mother in a dispute about taking a shower at the family house on Thursday, authorities said.
Osei Edwards, 21, of Estate Concordia, was arrested Thursday and charged with simple assault and battery-domestic violence, anddisturbing the peace by fighting.
No bail was set for Edwards in accordance with the territory’s domestic violence statutes, the VIPD said in a probable cause fact sheet.
In addition to the criminal charges against him, Edwards is also accused by police of refusing to go through the booking process and refusing to take a COVID-19 test.
This is not Edwards’ first brush with the law, he was also arrested in October of 2019 for allegedly burglarizing his mother’s home on a Sunday, police records indicate.
According to a sworn affidavit filed by police in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, the reporting officer stated:
While traveling to a location in Estate Concordia, a third police officer arrived at the scene. That officer said via police radio that the suspect had fled on foot towards the Queen Louise home intersection in Estate Concordia-West.
The officer described the suspect as a slim, black male wearing a black shirt, short green pants, and barefooted. While in the Estate Concordia area, the reporting officer saw a person that matched that description at a house in Concordia that was under construction.
The reporting officer and her partner stopped the police cruiser and traveled on foot to the house under construction.
Osei Edwards was detained and arrested without incident. The reporting officer’s partner identified the male individual as Osei Edwards based on prior cases.
The police transport unit, manned by two additional officers, were present near the house under construction and they transported Osei Edwards to the Sunny Isle Lab for a COVID-19 test.
The parents of Osei Davis made the following statements to police:
The reporting officer and her partner interviewed the mother of Edwards in Concordia after the incident and she “stated that she was fine and did not need medical attention.”
The mother said Edwards “told her that he would like to take a shower when he came home.”
The mother told her other son “to remove his belongings from the restroom so Edwards could use the bathroom.”
After that, Edwards started to curse and threaten the mother: “I will kill both ayo mudascunt,” Edwards is alleged to have said.
The mother then asked “Edwards to go take a shower and calm down,”
“I will fucking punch you,” Edwards is alleged to have said, and then struck the mother on her right arm.
The third officer mention in the report was the first officer to report to the scene of the alleged crime. When that officer arrived at the residence, “Edwards fled the area on foot.”
The officer making the police report did not see any visible bruises on the mother’s right arm immediately after the incident.
Edwards was read his Miranda Rights and declined to give a statement.
Edwards refused to go through the Booking process and was not booked.
While at the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station, a call was received from a police detective stating that “Edwards refused to take the COVID-19 test.”
Edwards was then transported to the Bureau of Corrections, where he was remanded pending further court action.
Readers of the Virgin Islands Free Press in the Facebook group “St. Croix Sync Tank” were quick to voice their opinions on the arrest of Edwards.
“This isn’t simple assault, assault is assault with intent to cause bodily harm,” Jahmela Heddi Heard Jacobson said. “I guess it’s something in the sea breeze or it’s becoming a regular thing or a style to harm mother’s I hope the Judicial System put both of these two current perpetrators who hurt their own momma in the same cell let’s see who will hit the hardest and I’m not promoting violence it’s hard facts.”