Mugshot of Anthony Aaron Benjamin. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — Anthony Aaron Benjamin appeared in court this week to face assault charges after allegedly strangling his girlfriend over a plate of food.
On January 29, a woman called the 911 Emergency Call Center to ask for police assistance to remove her boyfriend from her home, after he had allegedly assaulted her.
Responding officers met with the woman who told them that her boyfriend, Anthony Aaron Benjamin, hit her in the face and strangled her, after they got into an argument over food. The woman said that she tried to defuse the situation but Benjamin approached her, commanded her to listen and proceeded to strangle her. She swung her hands as she tried to get Benjamin to let go of her, then Benjamin struck her with a headbutt. She says the bridge of her nose flared with pain, as did the front and back of her neck. Police noticed discoloration to her nose.
When police met with Benjamin, he confirmed that the argument began over a plate of food. He admitted to choking her, but said that when he realized what he was doing he removed his hands from around the woman’s neck. Benjamin said his head hit the woman’s face when he was holding her hands. Police arrested Benjamin and laid charges of second-degree assault and simple assault and battery as acts of domestic violence.
In court on Monday, a judge ruled that Benjamin be allowed to post $101 cash and sign an unsecured bond for the remainder of the $1,000 bail. He must report to the Office of Probation every Tuesday and have no contact with the complainant. He is barred from entering the woman’s residence but will have one opportunity to retrieve his belongings with police escort of a Superior Court marshal.
