Mugshot of Raydin Ortiz Castellanos. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — After more than six months, felony assault and weapons charges have been refiled against a man accused of menacing his girlfriend with an illegal firearm.
According to court documents, police were summoned to a location in Estate Contant on May 4, 2023. There, they met with a woman who said that she had returned from taking her son to school that morning, when Raydin Ortiz Castellanos approached her. He reportedly accused her of being intimate with another man because she did not answer the phone when he called.
Despite the woman's lack of reaction, Castellanos reportedly continued his verbal assault, escalating the confrontation by pushing his girlfriend against the wall and slapping her in the face several times, according to court documents. She told police that she fell to the floor and her boyfriend began to kick her before ripping her pants and underwear. All the while, the woman told officers, Castellanos — who in 2022 was arrested for allegedly viciously attacking his girlfriend in the presence of her minor son — continued to accuse her of infidelity.
He reportedly began threatening to kill his girlfriend, underscoring his words by retrieving a black and gray firearm from the bedroom. The woman told police that Castellanos "racked" the slide of the gun several times before pointing it at her and repeating his threat to kill her.
The woman said she regained her footing at some point and went outside to the porch, but Castellanos reportedly followed her, grabbed her by the hair, and tried to throw her over the railing — all while repeating his intention to kill her. Instead, however, the woman said he closed the door in an attempt to lock her out. She was able to get to her son's room to change her torn pants, and then left the house again to call 911.
According to police, Castellanos initially denied owning a firearm when asked, but his girlfriend located the weapon — a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson — under a pillow on the bed. She also was able to find a box of ammunition containing 45 live rounds, and a magazine that held 10 rounds of ammunition. At the time, Castellanos was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and simple assault as acts of domestic violence, possession of an unlicensed firearm during a crime of violence, possession of ammunition, and disturbance of the peace.
The case went to trial, however according to documents before the court, prosecutors had a difficult time receiving pertinent information from the police officers involved in the investigation. In November, the court reluctantly granted a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice.
On December 9, with the required evidence in hand, Castellanos was re-arrested on the same charges. He appeared on Monday before Magistrate Paula Norkaitis, who found probable cause to uphold the charges against him. Bail was set at $50,000, with a 10 percent cash provision in effect. If bail is satisfied, Castellanos will be forbidden from traveling outside the district without the court's written permission. He will also be required to contact the probation office twice a week b y telephone and abide by a 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew. He is ordered to stay at least 200 feet from the woman he is accused of assaulting, and must have absolutely no contact with her at all.
His next court appearance has been scheduled for January 12.
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