Mugshot of Christin Willie. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A woman must contend with felony assault charges after she reportedly attacked a V.I. Housing Authority employee who had come to her apartment to supervise repairs.
Police were called to the David Hamilton Jackson Terrace on Tuesday afternoon and spoke to a senior VIHA employee. He told them that he and his partner had visited the apartment to conduct urgent electrical repairs. A health inspector had flagged serious health and safety concerns, and the VIHA staffer said that he was given a 24-hour deadline to effect the needed repairs.
The man told police that when he first spoke to Christin Willie, the tenant, she complained that the usual 48-hour notice had not been provided, however he explained that due to the safety concerns of the inspector, the repairs needed to be conducted immediately. Ms. Willie reportedly allowed him to enter the property, but when the man told her that they were awaiting the arrival of a maintenance worker, she indicated that she needed to close her door to pray.
Concerned that she would use the opportunity to lock him out of the apartment, the VIHA manager asked her not to close the door. Upon noticing that the maintenance worker had indeed arrived, the man tried to step into the apartment but was pushed back outside by the tenant.
When the man tried to get into the unit a second time, he told police that Willie ran to a nearby table in the living room, grabbed a machete, and then charged him, swinging her weapon. She was able to land a blow to the left side of his body with the flat of the blade before he grabbed her by both arms and took the weapon away from her.
Undeterred, Willie reportedly then ran to the table again, this time arming herself with a stun gun. The man told police that she again charged him, making close range contact with the weapon on his left rib cage, the left side of his stomach, and his left thigh. He was able to grapple the enraged woman to the floor, but while he was trying to evade her attacks with the energy weapon, she reportedly bit him, clamping down on his right forearm and refusing to release it.
The man’s coworker was eventually able to separate him from Willie, but not after several attempts and being stunned herself. Eventually, the woman’s minor son was able to calm the situation by restraining his mother and speaking to her while the VIHA employees left the apartment.
The coworker told police much the same story, recounting how Willie attacked first with the machete, and then the stun gun, before eventually being disarmed and subdued.
When police made contact with Ms. Willie, they noted her apparent state of distress, as well as the odor of alcohol on her breath. She was taken to the Ancilmo Marshall Command police station where she declined to provide a statement, and was arrested for third-degree assault, simple assault and battery, and carrying or using a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence.
Unable to pay the $25,000 bail as initially set, Willie was remanded into custody to await her first court appearance.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Ernest Morris Jr. issued a pretrial release order, the details of which have not yet been made available to the public. The next court appearance for Ms. Willie has been scheduled for May 1. A public defender has been appointed to represent her in this matter.
