Mugshot of Lyndon Tyson. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A 40-year-old St. Croix man is facing a possible life sentence after allegedly sexually abusing a minor.
Lyndon Tyson of La Grande Princesse was arrested on the morning of February 4th after detectives executed a warrant issued by the V.I. Superior Court. According to a recent release from the VIPD, Tyson is accused of sexually abusing a minor child on several occasions.
Tyson faces three charges — aggravated child abuse, first-degree aggravated rape and first-degree unlawful sexual contact. If convicted on the charge of unlawful sexual contact Tyson faces up to 15 years in jail. Meanwhile, the offense of first-degree aggravated rape carries a maximum imprisonment of life or any term of years, but not less than 15 years.
Following his arrest, Tyson was turned over to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections after failing to post $150,000 bail. At his advisement hearing on Monday, attorney Leslie Davis informed the court that the defendant’s friend was willing to put up his house as bail. According to Davis, the property is valued at a little under $200,000. The attorney asked that Tyson be released into the custody of his friend while the bail paperwork is being processed.
Appearing for the prosecution, Vanessa Hewitt-Quinland registered no objection to Tyson’s friend serving as his third-party custodian, noting that she had spoken with the individual and that he was aware of his responsibilities. She suggested that Tyson be placed on a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew if the court was inclined to release him while the appropriate paperwork is being filed.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge granted Tyson’s release on the posting of the property as proposed by defense counsel. He affirmed that the property must have a value of at least $150,000 the bail amount in the matter. The defendant will be subject to a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew and is ordered to maintain a minimum distance of 1,000 feet from the alleged victim. Tyson is strictly prohibited from having any direct or indirect contact with the victim or any potential witnesses in the matter.
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