Mugshot of Solomon Degallerie. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS —A man has been ordered to have no contact with his girlfriend after he allegedly hit her with an iron.
Solomon Degallerie has been charged with multiple offenses including two counts of third-degree assault and two counts of using a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence.
His arrest stems from an incident on Sunday evening where his girlfriend reportedly showed up at the Richard Callwood Command bleeding from the nose and mouth with blood running down her arms and legs. According to the probable cause fact sheet, she told police that her boyfriend Solomon Degallerie picked her up in her vehicle and they argued on the drive home after stopping for a few drinks. She further recounted that when they arrived home he approached her and began calling her names, allegedly threatening to ‘burst her face’. According to the alleged victim's statement, Degallerie then picked up a clothes iron and swung it at her and she was struck in the mouth while attempting to dodge the attack.
As the argument continued, Degallerie allegedly told the woman that he was going to kill her and proceeded to wrap his hand through her hair, pulling while she tried to escape. The fact sheet states that the victim presented a fistful of hair to the police at the time of her report. She further stated that her boyfriend threatened “you’re not leaving here. They will come and find you right here on the floor.” She was able to escape the residence, running to her vehicle and locking it. However, based on her statement to police, Degallerie approached the vehicle and began banging on the glass, demanding that she get out. She alleged that he then threw a large rock through the car window, causing her to immediately speed away from her residence.
Police contacted the accused on Monday via phone and he reportedly told law enforcement “I do not know what it is that the woman told you, but I just need my tools so that I can work.”
According to police, he admitted to breaking the woman’s car window and told the officers that she was aware that he could pay to replace it. He agreed to come into the station and provided a statement, claiming that the woman was intoxicated after a few drinks when he picked her up from work. He asserted that she began arguing with him and pushed him to the ground then climbed on top of him and he grabbed her by the ponytail in an attempt to push her off. According to his version of events, she ran to the vehicle and he asked her for his work tools several times but she refused to open the car. He told police that’s when he pushed the glass.
Degallerie was then advised that he would be placed under arrest but he reportedly asked whether he could make arrangements to return the next day because of his kids. The fact sheet notes that he also asked whether he could go free if the alleged victim didn’t want to press charges. He was booked and processed and no bail was set at the time.
At his advisement hearing on Wednesday, a judge granted bail in the amount of $15,000 with no 10 percent provision. The judge stressed that he is to have absolutely no contact with the victim directly or indirectly, including through third parties. He is strictly prohibited from going to her residence except for one opportunity to retrieve his belongings under police escort.
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