Mugshot of Isaac Hampton provided by the VIPD. The police department did not provide a mugshot of Iphedeia Petersen at time of publishing.
ST. THOMAS — Two individuals involved in an intimate relationship have been arrested and charged after neighbors called police to respond to a fight.
Isaac Hampton, age 27 was charged with simple assault and destruction of property, both categorized as acts of domestic violence. While born in Philadelphia, Hampton resides in Florida and is a visitor to the Virgin Islands. At the time of the fight, he was staying with his 24-year-old girlfriend Iphedeia Petersen who is also charged with simple assault and damage to property.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, a neighbor told police that she heard another tenant screaming “that boy is going to kill that girl!” After going to Petersen’s apartment she observed the couple fighting and witnessed as Hampton started to drag Petersen. The neighbor then pulled Petersen to safety.
The responding officers noted that they found Petersen standing under the neighbor’s residence wrapped in a curtain. Petersen told officers that Hampton got upset at her for yelling at him and that she threw a fan at him in frustration after he took her phone. She said he then began throwing items about the house, breaking her lamp and potted plant. Petersen told police while she attempted to choke Hampton, her hands slid down his neck. She then ran outside, picked up a conch shell and threw it against his car, denting the trunk. Petersen alleges that Hampton then hit her several times in the head and when she fell he kicked her in the rib area and began dragging her. The responding officer observed abrasions to her knees and legs, as well as bruises on her back, neck and face.
Hampton told officers that he and Petersen had just been intimate and that she began talking to him in a manner he did not like. According to Hampton, when he told her to watch her tone she threw the fan at him, injuring his arm. While he told police that Petersen had damaged his car, he refused to provide further details of the altercation. Officers did observe bruises to his hand and knee, but he refused to state how he received them. Both Hampton and Petersen were subsequently arrested and charged.
They appeared for separate advisement hearings on Monday where they were both released on their own personal recognizance and strictly forbidden from having any contact with each other. This includes phone calls, text messages, emails and any other form of communication. They have been ordered to maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet from each other at all times and are strictly forbidden from entering any residence where the other may reside. Hampton has been granted one opportunity to collect his personal belongings from Petersen’s residence under police escort. He has also been barred from having any unlawful contact with the neighbor who intervened on the night of the fight.
Before Hampton can be released he must submit all travel documents to the court and upon his release, he has 48 hours to provide the court with an address where he will reside while in the territory. According to Hampton, he is scheduled to leave St. Thomas on November 3rd. He has been instructed to file a motion asking for court permission to leave the jurisdiction since it is possible for him to attend his November 19th arraignment via zoom.
