ST. CROIX — Former St. Croix Police Chief Winsbut McFarlande Sr. surrendered to police Friday on an outstanding arrest warrant after allegedly slapping a man at a Williams Delight residence, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department.
Mr. McFarlande was booked and charged with simple assault and disturbance of the peace. He posted $500 bail and was released pending an advice of rights hearing scheduled for Monday, November 16, at Kingshill Superior Court.
The charges stem from an incident reported November 8, when the 911 Emergency Call Center received a call about a disturbance in progress in Williams Delight at approximately 11:44 a.m. Responding officers investigated and identified Mr. McFarlande as the person accused of slapping a male individual at the residence, police said.
Mr. McFarlande turned himself in to the VIPD Patrol Bureau at approximately 2:57 p.m. on November 13 because of the outstanding warrant.
His arrest involves a former senior member of the department who held leadership roles under successive administrations. The Consortium reported in June 2016 that then-Police Commissioner Delroy Richards appointed Mr. McFarlande acting St. Croix police chief, replacing Arthur Hector Sr. during a leadership shakeup under the Mapp administration.
In subsequent coverage of his plans for the department, The Consortium reported that Mr. McFarlande had also led the St. Croix department for six months during the de Jongh administration. Upon returning to the chief’s position in 2016, he outlined changes that included increased foot patrols, expanded deployment of the K-9 Unit and greater accountability for commanders and supervisors.
By November 2019, Mr. McFarlande was leading Juan Luis Hospital’s Police and Security Department. At the time, the hospital credited him with 27 years of police service as it announced the graduation of the territory’s first hospital-based law enforcement officers from the Virgin Islands Police Academy.
The police announcement did not describe what preceded the alleged slap or provide information about injuries.
