Mugshot of Erron Wallace. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A man is facing child abuse charges for allegedly trying to strangle his girlfriend's minor child.
According to court records, law enforcement was first alerted to the incident by a call from the child's father, who said that his 14-year old son had called him to report that his mother and her boyfriend were fighting. The father went to the house and suspected that alcohol was involved, and thus called authorities for assistance in removing his son from the house.
He told police that the boy's mother approached him aggressively when he showed up to the house to see what was going on. His son disclosed the assault on him, but his mother then reportedly pulled the child away from him and whisked him back inside the apartment, preventing the boy from leaving.
Responding officers reported that the boy's mother refused to open the door. Instead, they say that they stood outside the residence listening to the woman pounding on the windows of the apartment, screaming to the other residents not to open the door. Apart from mother, boyfriend and teenage son, police learned that a toddler was also inside the home. Officers say that the woman's abnormal behavior caused them concern for the safety of the children. The boy's father also confirmed that the woman's behavior was odd, and reiterated his suspicion that she might be intoxicated.
Police also learned that Erron Wallace, the woman's boyfriend accused of choking the teenage boy, was out of jail awaiting trial on domestic violence charges stemming from an attack on a previous intimate partner. They were also informed that he is known to have weapons. As such, officers of the Special Operations Bureau were called in to deal with the situation. Provided with a key by the apartment managers, they entered the unit and were able to detain both Wallace and his girlfriend without further incident.
The woman was taken to hospital for evaluation, while the teenage boy recounted his harrowing ordeal to police. His mother and Wallace were arguing the day prior, he said. His mother seemed to have difficulty standing. When he went to separate the two grownups, the boy said Wallace reportedly grabbed him by the neck and his mother by her hair, and slammed them both down on the bed. The adult man held the teenager down by the neck for some time before releasing him, the boy told police.
The next day, the couple was arguing again. The boy said he again tried to see what was going on, but this time Wallace closed the bedroom door. When he heard his mother begin to cry, he contacted his father for help. Police took note of the boy's injuries – apparent bruises to the side of the neck, a swollen lip and an abrasion near his top lip.
For his part, Wallace denied strangling the teenager and said that the boy's mother slapped him after learning that he had called his father. He admitted that the woman was his third-party custodian while he awaits trial on previous charges. He was ultimately arrested and charged with second-degree assault as a crime of domestic violence, child abuse, and disturbance of the peace by quarreling.
Wallace was remanded into custody to await his first court appearance, scheduled for Wednesday before Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross.
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