Harold Francis By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A man was arrested earlier this week after he entered the home he once shared with his estranged wife.
On January 24 officers were dispatched to Estate Whim to respond to a disturbance after a woman reported that her estranged husband, Harold Francis was trying to enter her home. By the time law enforcement officials got to the location, Francis was inside the home arguing with the woman.
After police separated the two, the woman told them that she was in the kitchen on the phone with a co-worker when Francis walked in through a locked screen door at the back of the house. The woman said that since Francis moved out of the residence, she had changed all the locks in the home except that one. Because the exterior door was open, her estranged husband was able to gain entry through the screen door.
The woman said she asked Francis multiple times to leave the home but he refused, instead starting to rummage through her belongings and throw items around. She stated that the two had been separated for some time.
Not only did Francis reportedly refuse his estranged wife's requests to leave, he also ignored police orders to do so, going into one of the bedrooms to begin ransacking the closet instead. When warned again, Francis invited officers to arrest him. After a while, he reportedly decided to leave on his own accord, but stopped at the doorway and inquired of the police whether he would be allowed to return. After receiving a response in the negative, Francis reportedly changed his mind about leaving, instead taking a seat in a nearby chair.
Police then arrested him, and charged him with disturbance of the peace and disobeying orders of a police officer.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Francis be allowed to sign an unsecured bond for the full $1,000 bail. He is to stay at least 1,000 ft away from the complainant. Francis will be permitted to retrieve any of his belongings that are still in the home under the escort of a police officer or Superior Court Marshal. He is to have no unlawful contact with his wife.
