Edward Sankitts, who faces charges of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images and revenge porn after a woman accused him of sending intimate photos to her mother. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — Edward Sankitts is out on bail while facing charges of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images and revenge porn as a crime of domestic violence after a woman told police he sent nude photographs of her to her mother without permission.
Magistrate Christopher Timmons found probable cause Tuesday to uphold the charges and ordered Sankitts to post $500 of a $1,000 bail requirement for release ahead of trial. The remaining amount was not required in cash.
The case stems from a complaint made to police Monday afternoon by a woman who said intimate photographs of her had been sent to her mother by Sankitts.
Woman Says Relationship Began Weeks Earlier
The woman told officers that she had met Sankitts at least three weeks earlier. According to the police report, she described him as a “troubled person” but believed she could help him “turn his life around.”
She said Sankitts told her that his mother had died and asked her to come to his home to pray for him. During her second visit, the two became intimate, she told police.
The woman later discovered that Sankitts had lied about his mother’s death. She also alleged that he would take her cellphone and tell her he would return it only after they had sex.
According to her account, Sankitts later admitted that he had lied and apologized for his behavior. The two nevertheless remained friends.
Intimate Images Become Focus of Complaint
The woman told police that during a subsequent video call, Sankitts asked her to show him her breast, and she complied. She said he then asked to see her genitals, and after some reluctance, she complied with that request as well.
After the call ended, the woman said Sankitts sent her intimate photographs of herself in which her face was clearly visible. She believed the images had been captured while she was showing him her body during the video call.
The woman told police she was upset that the images had been obtained without her consent and ordered Sankitts to delete them. Instead, she alleged, he sent them to her mother the following day.
Sankitts Gives Police Different Account of Images
When questioned by investigators, Sankitts told officers that his sexual relationship with the woman had been consensual. He also offered a different account of how he obtained the photographs.
Sankitts said the woman had lost her cellphone inside his home and pressured him to help locate it. According to his account, she threatened to report to police that he had raped her if he did not help her find the device.
Sankitts told officers that he became upset by the alleged threat and sent the nude photographs to the woman’s mother. He also said he called the mother and told her that her adult daughter was having sex with him.
He denied taking screenshots during the video call and maintained that the woman had sent the photographs to him herself.
Probable Cause Found on Charges
Police ultimately arrested Sankitts and charged him with non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images and revenge porn as a crime of domestic violence. He was remanded into custody pending his advice-of-rights hearing.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Timmons found probable cause to uphold the charges.
Sankitts was permitted to secure his release by paying $500 of the $1,000 bail requirement. Once released, he is required to comply with the standard bail conditions imposed by the court.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 2.
Advertisements
