Mugshot of Kertis Tonge Jr. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A man appeared in the V.I Superior Court on Wednesday on criminal charges after allegedly disobeying court orders.
Kertis Tonge Jr. was arrested on Monday with contempt of court as an act of domestic violence and harassment by telephone, according to court documents, after violating a restraining order by leaving numerous voice messages on the victim’s phone while calling her derogatory names and threatening to kill her.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, on Monday at about 2:10 p.m. the victim was at the Wilbur H. Francis Command Center where she told police that she had a domestic violence-related restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, Kertis Tonge Jr, dated August 9, 2022 and valid for two years. Despite this, she said, Tonge continued calling her and leaving threatening messages on her voicemail.
She told police that the two were in a relationship for about three years until it ended in April 2021, however they still had interactions up until July 2022, following a series of traumatic experiences which she said she encountered with Tonge. The victim said she was advised to obtain a restraining order against him.
The victim said that after blocking Tonge’s number, he continued to call her from other numbers so she enabled a feature on her phone which directs numbers not listed in her contacts to be forwarded to her voicemail. According to the probable cause fact sheet, Tonge began leaving messages on her voicemail from an unknown number, but she recognized Tonge’s voice. The victim played some of the voice messages for the officer and gave him copies of the messages. In the voice messages, Tonge could be heard calling his ex-girlfriend derogatory names. In a particular voice message, he stated that the victim would be found submerged in Creque Dam.
Shortly after leaving the police station, the victim contacted the officer again to say that she had received another set of threatening messages. She returned to the police station to allow officers to listen to the messages which she received between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The victim expressed fear for her safety and her child's, stating that she knew Tonge to be capable of following through with his threats based on stories she’d heard about Tonge's previous relationships, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
Based on the restraining order, Tonge was prohibited from directly or indirectly subjecting the victim to any acts of domestic violence, including harassment or threats, and from having any contact with the victim. Forensics collected all the evidence from the victim’s phone and Tonge was subsequently arrested at his residence.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Tonge would be allowed to post $1,500 cash to secure his release. Upon release, he has been ordered to stay at least 50 ft away from the victim and have no direct or indirect contact with her. Any further violation of the court order will result in Tonge being detained at the Bureau of Corrections until his next court appearance.
ST. CROIX — A man appeared in the V.I Superior Court on Wednesday on criminal charges after allegedly disobeying court orders.
Kertis Tonge Jr. was arrested on Monday with contempt of court as an act of domestic violence and harassment by telephone, according to court documents, after violating a restraining order by leaving numerous voice messages on the victim’s phone while calling her derogatory names and threatening to kill her.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, on Monday at about 2:10 p.m. the victim was at the Wilbur H. Francis Command Center where she told police that she had a domestic violence-related restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, Kertis Tonge Jr, dated August 9, 2022 and valid for two years. Despite this, she said, Tonge continued calling her and leaving threatening messages on her voicemail.
She told police that the two were in a relationship for about three years until it ended in April 2021, however they still had interactions up until July 2022, following a series of traumatic experiences which she said she encountered with Tonge. The victim said she was advised to obtain a restraining order against him.
The victim said that after blocking Tonge’s number, he continued to call her from other numbers so she enabled a feature on her phone which directs numbers not listed in her contacts to be forwarded to her voicemail. According to the probable cause fact sheet, Tonge began leaving messages on her voicemail from an unknown number, but she recognized Tonge’s voice. The victim played some of the voice messages for the officer and gave him copies of the messages. In the voice messages, Tonge could be heard calling his ex-girlfriend derogatory names. In a particular voice message, he stated that the victim would be found submerged in Creque Dam.
Shortly after leaving the police station, the victim contacted the officer again to say that she had received another set of threatening messages. She returned to the police station to allow officers to listen to the messages which she received between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The victim expressed fear for her safety and her child's, stating that she knew Tonge to be capable of following through with his threats based on stories she’d heard about Tonge's previous relationships, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
Based on the restraining order, Tonge was prohibited from directly or indirectly subjecting the victim to any acts of domestic violence, including harassment or threats, and from having any contact with the victim. Forensics collected all the evidence from the victim’s phone and Tonge was subsequently arrested at his residence.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Tonge would be allowed to post $1,500 cash to secure his release. Upon release, he has been ordered to stay at least 50 ft away from the victim and have no direct or indirect contact with her. Any further violation of the court order will result in Tonge being detained at the Bureau of Corrections until his next court appearance.
