Mugshot of Foster G. Webster Jr. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS – A man currently on bail for serious crimes is facing fresh felony charges after police say he attacked his ex-girlfriend and her son inside their home.
According to court documents, police were dispatched to the residence in the wee hours of the morning of June 9 after a woman called to report an assault. Responding officers met with the woman, who was visibly injured. They took note of her swollen face and lips, the scratches around her right eye, and of what appeared to be specks of blood on her face. The woman’s minor child was also injured – officers noted swelling to his left eye, as well as specks of what appeared to be blood on his face and clothing.
Officers spoke to the boy first. He told them that he was in the living room speaking to his mother, when her ex-boyfriend, Foster G. Webster Jr., rushed through the front door and into the bathroom. The boy said he first heard shouting and then what sounded like a fight between his mother and her ex. The boy said that when he went into the bathroom to investigate, he noticed the adults fighting, and so got between them to try to get them to stop. Instead of de-escalating the physical aggression, Webster reportedly punched the boy in his right eye. When his mother heard her son cry, she reportedly began to fight her ex even harder, until eventually the boy’s uncle came into the residence, parted the fighting adults, and told Webster to leave the premises.
From the mother’s retelling of events , police learned that she had been given a ride home that evening, which may have led her ex-boyfriend to assume that a man was inside the house. She told them that she had been taking a shower when Webster barged in through the unlocked front door, came into the bathroom and attacked her.
The woman recounted how her ex began arguing with her about the vehicle he saw outside the residence before grabbing her head and slamming it against the shower wall. In the ensuing fight, Webster began to punch her in the face, and the woman told police how he punched the child too, when the boy came in to try to separate them. After speaking to police, mother and child were both taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center to receive treatment for their injuries.
Police say this is not the first incident of this nature between the two adults. In fact, the woman has filed multiple police reports against Webster, and the most recent previous altercation between the two had resulted in misdemeanor charges against both parties before the case was dropped for lack of prosecution. Investigators also discovered that Webster does not have keys to the woman’s residence.
On Monday, Webster — who is currently on bail for attempted murder, as well as other serious crimes — turned himself in. He was swiftly arrested and charged with first-degree burglary, unlawful entry, third-degree assault and aggravated assault and battery, all as crimes of domestic violence. He was additionally charged with child abuse, a second count of aggravated assault and battery, and disturbance of the peace.
He was remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing, which was scheduled for Wednesday. Due to the federal holiday, it is unclear if the court hearing occurred as scheduled, since public records have not yet been updated as of press time.
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