Mugshot of Reynaldo Rivera. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A man was arrested following a reported domestic violence incident in which he allegedly used a sword to assault his partner.
According to court documents, a woman turned up at a police station last Friday morning to report that Reynaldo Rivera had assaulted her following an argument. She said that she had confronted him about his lack of cleanliness around the house, and things escalated into a physical altercation.
The woman told police that Rivera pushed her against the living room wall and began punching her about the face and body. Afterwards, he began removing his belongings from the house, pausing to retrieve his sword and hit her with the sheathed weapon, the woman recounted. Police observed the woman’s swollen right cheek, swollen left wrist, and bruises on her left breast.
After hitting her with the sword, the woman said that Rivera left the house for his parents’ residence. Police found him there, and transported him back to the police station, where he was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, and simple assault and battery as domestic violence crimes, as well as possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a crime of violence.
Rivera was remanded into custody and appeared in court on Monday, where court records indicate that prosecutors chose to proceed only on the third-degree assault charge, as an act of domestic violence. Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold that charge, and assessed bail at $15,000, satisfied by an unsecured bond for the full amount.
Rivera will be released upon the provision of a suitable third-party custodian, and will be required to report to the probation office every week.
His next court appearance is scheduled for July 17.
