From left to right: Sisters Anna and Tynisha Hodge. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — Two sisters appeared before the V.I. Superior Court on Wednesday after getting into an altercation with a minor.
On January 17, the 911 Emergency Call Center received reports of a disturbance involving several women. When police arrived at the Oswald Harris Court Bldg they saw two people embroiled in a heated argument — one was 20-year-old Tynisha Hodge, and the other, a minor. Officers quickly intervened, separated the two, and attempted to quell the situation. However, they were somehow unable to prevent the minor female from arming herself with a wooden stick and striking Hodge several times in the head and face, causing injuries.
As police restrained the minor, 18-year old Anna Hodge, Tynisha's sister, rushed forward and began striking the minor with closed fists, dealing blows to the girl's head and body, according to court documents. Tynisha, the elder Hodge, then wriggled out of officers' grasp and also attacked the minor, kicking and punching her in the head and body. The sisters were able to grab the girl by her hair and rain blows with their fists and feet until they were restrained via the combined efforts of a VIPD officer and several bystanders.
According to the documents presented in court, as police were escorting the injured minor to their patrol vehicle, Tynisha rushed the girl and began striking her again before being restrained once more by an officer. Police noted that Tynisha had sustained a small laceration to her lip, while the minor was also bleeding from a laceration to her left thigh.
The girl was taken to the Juvenile Bureau and placed in protective custody while the Hodge sisters were arrested and charged with simple assault, delaying and obstructing, and disturbance of the peace. Tynisha was taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center but she refused medical treatment for her injuries.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that the sisters each be allowed to post $500 cash to secure their release. They will be barred from leaving the St. Thomas- St. John District without the court's approval, must report to the Office of Probation once a week, and abide by a daily curfew - 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The two must have no contact with the minor and must stay at least 25 ft away from her at all times.
