Mugshot of Juan A. Sanchez Cardona. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS —A man who allegedly brutally assaulted his landlord faced a V.I. Superior Court judge Friday.
Juan A. Sanchez Cardona, age 48, was recently arrested on charges of third-degree assault and using a dangerous weapon following an altercation with the owner of the apartment were Cardona resided.
His arrest follows a report on October 12 made by his landlord who stated that on October 11, he took the smell of smoke coming from Cardona’s apartment and went downstairs to see if Cardona had set fire to his apartment again. According to the probable cause fact sheet, prior to October 11, Cardona had set a small fire to his apartment and after it was extinguished, the landlord told Cardona that he had to find somewhere else to live.
On the morning of October 12, Cardona went upstairs to his landlord’s place, sat on the stairs and asked for water. The landlord’s neighbor, who was in the residence at the time, went inside to get the water for Cardona. While doing so, Cardona walked up to the landlord and struck him to the left side of his head with a 5lb metal weight. The landlord stated that after Cardona struck him to the head, Cardona removed a broken broomstick out of his pocket and began jabbing him with it. At that point, the neighbor came out the house and saw what Cardona was doing, so he grabbed Cardona and pulled him away from the landlord. While doing so, the neighbor fell forward onto his knees. Cardona left the residence and walked down the hill to the bus stop.
The landlord told police that Cardona had been smoking crack all week, and he believed that is what was causing him to act crazy.
Crime scene technicians traveled to the area, made contact with the landlord and photographed his injuries and the weapon. Cardona was placed under arrest.
In court on Friday, a judge ruled that Cardona would only be released after a psychological evaluation was conducted. Additionally, Cardona was allowed to post 10 percent of the $25,000 bail amount to secure his release.
He was ordered to have no contact, directly or indirectly, with any victims or witnesses in the matter, and has been ordered to stay 50ft away from the landlord.
Cardona is not permitted to return to the apartment except on one occasion with the assistance of police to retrieve his belongings. He is barred from leaving the St. Thomas- St. John District without the court’s written permission, must surrender his passport and must report to the Office of Probation twice a week.
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