Mugshot of Donnise Nicholas. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — One woman is facing felony child abuse and assault charges following an altercation with her teenage son.
According to court documents, police were first alerted to the incident when they went to make a truancy check at a Christiansted residence on Wednesday. An officer met with Donnise Nicholas and during the course of an initial interview learned that she had allegedly assaulted her son, causing visible injuries.
Ms. Nicholas reportedly admitted to the investigating officer that she had been having a difficult time speaking to the teenager this week. He approached her in the morning demanding his mobile phone, which she told him that she did not have. According to Ms. Nicholas, her son did not believe her and began rifling through her belongings in search of the device. When he picked up her bag, she tried to take it back, which resulted in a tug-of-war between parent and child. The pair reportedly ended up on the floor at one point, and at another point the son reportedly got up and took the bag to the porch. Ms. Nicholas said she followed and grabbed at the bag again, prompting another struggle.
During the second grapple, the mother told police that she bit her son on the chest in a fit of rage. The injury caused him to run off, scattering the contents of the bag across the porch and steps.
Officers asked the 17-year old for his side of the story, and he reportedly admitted that he and his mother had been having a hard time communicating with each other. She had taken his phone the day prior, he told officers, and so when he asked her for it on Wednesday morning and she denied having the phone, he was convinced that it was hidden among her personal belongings. He admitted that his mother became upset over his search through her items, and confirmed that they began to struggle over the bag. During the struggle, he said that his mother at one point pressed her forearm against his throat, restricting his airway and rendering him unable to breathe. The rest of the story coincided with his mother's recounting of events.
Another minor child in the home confirmed the sequence of events, adding that Ms. Nicholas was seen punching her son during the altercation.
Officers took note of the bite mark on the boy’s chest area, and subsequently arrested Ms. Nicholas, charging her with second-degree assault and simple assault and battery as crimes of domestic violence, as well as child abuse. Because domestic violence suspects are unable to receive bail until allowed by the court, she was remanded into custody to await her advice of rights hearing.
While that hearing was scheduled for Thursday morning before Magistrate Venetia Velazquez, as of press time there has been no indication of whether that hearing was actually held.
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