Vincent Wiltshire Jr. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. THOMAS — A man is facing misdemeanor domestic violence-related charges after police said surveillance video captured him slapping and punching his girlfriend while she was working at an establishment in Four Winds Plaza, in an incident the woman told officers was part of a longer pattern of abuse.
Police were dispatched to the business shortly after midnight on Saturday. When officers arrived, they met a woman who said her boyfriend, Vincent Wiltshire Jr., had come to the establishment and began harassing her while she was on the job.
According to the woman, Wiltshire repeatedly came behind the bar counter and accused her of being unfaithful.
She told police that he remained there until patrons had left the business. Then, after another person at the establishment stepped out to take out the garbage, Wiltshire allegedly approached her and demanded that she leave with him immediately.
The woman said the encounter then turned physical. She reported that Wiltshire slapped her across the face and then punched her in the right eye, causing injury.
According to her account, she responded by pulling him into a clinch in an effort to stop the assault. She admitted to biting him in the face several times as she tried to get him to back off.
She told police that after biting him on the lip, she held on with her teeth until the person who had gone outside to handle the garbage returned. At that point, she called out for that person to contact the authorities.
After the two separated, the woman said she went upstairs to the office to wait for police, while Wiltshire left the establishment.
She also told officers that she had endured abuse during the couple’s seven-year relationship, but that she was now ready for it to end. According to the report, she disclosed that Wiltshire had been arrested before, but she had previously chosen not to move forward.
Officers reviewed surveillance footage from the business. Police said the video showed Mr. Wiltshire walking behind the bar and pushing the woman several times. After the bar emptied, the cameras reportedly captured the assault in a manner consistent with the woman’s description.
Police later located Wiltshire at Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he was receiving stitches for a facial laceration.
After declining to provide a statement, he was arrested and charged with simple assault as a crime of domestic violence and disturbance of the peace.
He was remanded into custody pending his advice of rights hearing, which was scheduled for Monday morning before Magistrate Julie Smith Todman.
As of press time, the outcome of that hearing was not reflected on the public court docket. An arraignment hearing for Wiltshire has been scheduled for April 10.
Advertisements
