Mugshot of Rasheen St. Juste. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — The proprietor of an establishment on Curacao Gade was arrested after reportedly stabbing another man in the back.
According to court documents, on Thursday night, police were summoned to the R2R Lounge in reference to an assault. There, they met a woman who said she had come to the establishment to see her friend, but on her arrival she found Rasheen St. Juste, who she called "Rosco", standing in her way. She said he informed her that the place was closed and that she could not come in, but she told officers that she could see her friend behind him signaling her inside.
The woman told officers that it took her three attempts to gain entrance, with St. Juste pushing her back each time. Once inside the lounge, the woman said that St. Juste came up to her and threw a drink in her face. When she returned the gesture, the woman said St. Juste retaliated by punching her on the right side of her face.
The woman's boyfriend came in at that point, she said, and tried to separate the tussling pair. However, according to eyewitness accounts, St. Juste reportedly drew a yellow-handled knife which he used to stab the woman's boyfriend in the back.
The boyfriend declined to provide a statement, reportedly instead telling police that he would "deal with it."
For his part, St. Juste spoke to police after being taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for lacerations, contusions and concussion. Appearing intoxicated to officers, he seemed to confirm the sequence of events, saying that he took defensive action after a 300-pound man entered the lounge.
St. Juste was ultimately charged with third-degree assault, felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, simple assault, and disturbance of the peace. He was remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing.
In court on Friday, Magistrate Simone VanHolten-Turnbull found probable cause to uphold all charges against St. Juste and set bail at $75,000, 15 percent of which is payable in cash.
Release conditions include being required to report twice weekly in person to the probation office. St. Juste has also been ordered to conduct a documented work search where at least two potential employers are contacted each week. He will be restricted to the district and banned from the premises of R2R Lounge until the court determines who owns the establishment. St. Juste has also been banned from any form of contact with his wife (the woman who had invited her friend inside), the stabbing victim, and all witnesses in the matter. He has been ordered to stay away from the homes and workplaces of all these individuals.
St. Juste is also facing felony domestic violence charges for a September incident in which he allegedly choked his wife at R2R Lounge, the establishment they reportedly co-own. The couple is currently in the process of divorce.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed against R2R Lounge, alleging that noise levels and disruptive behavior by the establishment's customers are causing a nuisance. The owners and operators of 81C, an establishment across the street from R2R, say that the lounge does not have adequate sound abatement measures in place as required by law, and also does not attempt to control the disruptive behavior of its patrons.
Advertisements
