The BMW 328i operated by Andre P. Auguste came to a stop after crashing into these bushes. The victim died on the scene.
ST. CROIX — A man succumbed to injuries sustained during a single-vehicle accident that occurred Saturday morning on the westbound lane of Midland Road in the vicinity of Estate Calquohoun, Police Commissioner Ray Martinez has confirmed to the Consortium.
V.I.P.D. officers with the Traffic Investigation Bureau responded to the scene after being notified at about 12:13 a.m. Saturday of the accident by the Special Operations Bureau.
Upon officers' arrival to the location, they observed the body of a male victim on the ground about 70 feet south of the westbound lane. A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, identified as 31-year-old Andre P. Auguste, was operating a BMW 328i vehicle at a high rate of speed heading east when he lost control of the vehicle, swerved right, struck a sidewalk, a wire fence, then overturned the vehicle before coming to a stop south of the westbound lane.
BMW 328i operated by Andre P. Auguste when the accident occurred on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
Auguste was not wearing a seatbelt, according to police, and he was ejected from the vehicle during the accident. The preliminary police investigation determined that the victim's death was a result of his ejection from the vehicle.
Police confirmed that Auguste was arrested for the 2017 murder of Dean Schneider in Watergut and had been released pending trial. According to the commissioner, the suspect was supposed to be under house arrest after being released by the court pending trial. All suspects released with conditions, including house arrest, are under the jurisdiction of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, meaning it's the court's duty to monitor the suspects and ascertain that they are meeting the requirements imposed by the judicial system.
Police Commissioner Martinez stated that too often the public hears of individuals released on bail violating the conditions of their release. He said he would be reaching out to the Superior Court and the V.I. Department of Justice in regards to addressing this issue.
Police also confirmed that a firearm was found in some grass at the scene about 33 feet away from Auguste’s body.
Correction: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
A previous version of this story misplaced the dates because of a text error. The incident occurred during the wee morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 2, not Sunday. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information.
