Mugshot of Enox Duncan. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A man police called a “known mental patient” was arrested on March 18 after reportedly causing a scene at a church, assaulting members of the congregation in the process.
An off-duty police officer was attending church on March 18 when just after 10:00 a.m. Enox Duncan entered the building wearing a dress and began causing a disruption to the service. One congregant gave him some money, but a second person denied his request, at which point the pastor asked him to leave. Duncan reportedly began to raise his voice, shouting to the assembly that he was actually the real pastor, not the man leading the service.
Trying to quell the disruption, the officer who says he has known Duncan for years and had previously interacted with him, said he approached Duncan and told him it was time to exit the church. He grasped Duncan’s shoulder in an attempt to take him outside, but Duncan reportedly lashed out, hitting the officer in the face and causing a scratch under his right eye, according to court documents. Duncan's resistance triggered a struggle that necessitated other churchgoers stepping in to assist the officer in removing the disruptive man from the service, according to court documents.
Once outside, the officer and other church members wrestled Duncan to the ground, but he reportedly continued to swing at people and shoving them away from him. The off-duty officer says he punched Duncan several times trying to subdue him, to no avail. Then, the officer, who lived nearby, decided to run to his house to retrieve his baton and handcuffs, leaving the still-combative Duncan briefly in the care of the rest of the congregation. While on his way home, the officer says he called dispatch for backup.
Upon returning to the church, the off-duty officer said he saw Duncan on his feet, surrounded by members of the church who reported that the disruptive man had struck one congregant in the head. The officer extended his baton and ordered Duncan back on the ground, which Duncan refused to do. The police officer then lashed out several times, catching Duncan on his left arm with the baton. Duncan ran, with the officer chasing behind him. Some distance later, the man fell to the ground and the officer was able to get him into handcuffs. Noticing that the suspect was bleeding from the arm on which he had been struck by the baton, the officer called 911 again for assistance. An ambulance arrived to transport Duncan to the hospital for assistance.
According to the probable cause fact sheet submitted by the arresting officer, Duncan was found to have a broken left forearm, open wound lacerations and bruising to his left cheek. A medical doctor advised Duncan that he needed to undergo surgery. The doctor also requested a mental health evaluation be performed, and Duncan was left in the care of hospital staff.
On Sunday morning, March 19, police were notified that Duncan was attempting to leave the hospital against medical advice. VIPD officers responded to the hospital and, after ensuring that Duncan’s wounds had been attended to, arrested him and proffered charges of aggravated assault and disturbing or breaking up meetings. He was unable to post bail set at $1,000, and was thus remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing on Monday morning.
At that hearing, the presiding Magistrate issued orders for both psychological and psychiatric evaluations to be performed on Duncan before April 20, to determine whether he is competent to stand trial, among other things.
His next court appearance is scheduled for May 3, 2023.
