Matthew Fontaine Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — Police on Tuesday morning arrested a man who allegedly raped a minor on several occasions and threatened her with a firearm during the assaults.
According to V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Toby Derima, today at approximately 10:10 a.m., 28-year-old Matthew Fontaine, who is presently in the custody of the Bureau of Corrections on a separate matter, was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated rape-domestic violence, first-degree rape, first degree unlawful sexual contact, child abuse, second-degree rape and first-degree assault.
Fontaine was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old female on several occasions. The victim reported that Fontaine threatened her with a firearm during the sexual assaults.
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Unable to post bail of $150,000, Fontaine was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advisement hearing. Fontaine was already in police custody for allegedly burglarizing a tire shop in St. Thomas in August.
St. Thomas/St. John Chief of Police Steven Philip thanked members of the Criminal Investigation and Youth Investigation Bureaus for working together to bring this case to the fore. He said rape and sexual assault remain a problem in the community. “We must protect our children, and hopefully this will be the start of persons who know something, coming forward and saying something," stated Chief Phillip.
According to a Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey (2019), every 73 seconds an American is sexually assaulted, and that ages 12-34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault in the U.S.
“Just as there is no excuse for domestic violence, there is no excuse for sexual violence,” Chief Philip said.
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