Mugshot of Mackeem Appleton Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — Bail has been set in the amount of $75,000 for a 28-year-old man charged with the rape of a minor.
Mackeem Appleton of Contant Knolls was arrested on the evening of October 6 following a warrant issued on October 1st. He is accused of the sexual assault of a female minor in an incident which allegedly took place at his residence on July 1st.
Appleton is facing a slew of criminal offenses in connection with that incident, including aggravated rape in the second degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for life, or any term of years not less than 10.
He is further charged with second degree rape, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, and unlawful sexual contact, an offense punishable by a maximum sentence of one year.
In addition, Appleton is charged with violating the prohibition of visual medium depicting sexually explicit content, in violation of sections 488(3) and 488(5) of Title 14 of the Virgin Islands Code. Each of these two offenses are punishable by a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of no more than $100,000.
The accused is further charged with causing delinquency of a minor, for which he could be fined a maximum of $500, face one year in prison, or both. The final charge against Appleton is child abuse, which carries a fine of not less than $500, imprisonment of not more than 20 years, or both.
The probable cause fact sheet at time of publishing was not made public, however Appleton, who appeared for a virtual advisement hearing on Friday, is considered a flight risk by the court. This is due to the lengthy sentences he faces if convicted. As such, bail has been set in the amount of $75,000 with no 10 percent provision. As part of his pretrial release conditions, he will be placed on full house arrest and must submit all travel documents.
Appleton is also strictly prohibited from having any contact with the minor victim or her parents and must maintain a 100 feet distance at all times. He is also forbidden from being in the presence of any minor without the supervision of another adult. This includes his own two children. An arraignment date has been scheduled for October 22nd, 2021.
Correction: Oct. 9, 2021 at 8:57 a.m.
A previous version of this story, because of a text error, stated that the suspect in this case is 20. Mackeem Appleton of Contant Knolls is 28 years old. We've updated the story to reflect the correct information.
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