ST. CROIX — A St. Croix man identified in recent Virgin Islands National Guard records as a senior enlisted soldier is facing multiple domestic violence charges after allegedly grabbing his wife by the neck and squeezing during an argument over their teenage son’s reported use of a vape pen.
Wrensford Ault, 45, was arrested Monday after appearing at the Wilbur H. Francis Command police station with his attorney to discuss the September incident. He declined to provide a statement about what had occurred, according to police.
Official V.I. National Guard records from May identify a Wrensford Ault as a Master Sergeant assigned to the 104th Troop Command. Master Sergeant carries the Army pay grade E-8 and is among the service’s senior noncommissioned officer ranks. Earlier VING records show Ault serving as a Sergeant First Class and first sergeant of the 23rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in 2019, while Army records document his service in the Virgin Islands National Guard as far back as 2008.
The Consortium has not found a public statement from the Virgin Islands National Guard addressing Ault’s arrest.
According to court documents, the confrontation reportedly began on the evening of Friday, September 18, while Ault’s wife was attending church with the couple’s children. During the service, a deacon informed her that her 14-year-old son had been caught with a vape pen.
After church, the woman drove home with her three children. She sent two of them inside but remained in the vehicle with the teenager so she could discuss what she had been told.
According to police, the boy had begun explaining himself when Ault came out of the house and approached the vehicle. He allegedly opened the driver’s side door and began loudly questioning why his wife and son were sitting in the car talking when he had already received a call from someone at church about the vape.
Master Sgt. Wrensford Ault of the Virgin Islands National Guard works during a military assignment. Recent VING records identify Ault as a Master Sergeant assigned to the 104th Troop Command.
Ault reportedly told everyone to go inside, where he continued questioning his son “in a loud and angry tone of voice.”
The dispute eventually shifted toward his wife, police say. Ault allegedly became upset that he had learned about the incident involving their son from other people at church rather than from her.
His wife told investigators that she became increasingly upset and, while crying, raised her voice and demanded that Ault listen to her.
According to her account, Ault responded by grabbing her around the neck and squeezing while berating her for yelling.
The couple’s 14-year-old son then attempted to intervene, police say, leading to a physical struggle between father and son. An older sibling came out of a bedroom and helped the mother separate Ault from the teenager and calm the confrontation.
The woman told police that she did not immediately call 911 because she did not want her husband to get into trouble. Instead, she stayed in the children’s bedroom over the weekend because she was concerned for her safety.
When Ault left for work the following Monday morning, she reportedly went to a neighbor’s home and contacted an emergency support organization for victims of domestic violence.
Police later interviewed two of the children, who corroborated their mother’s account of the confrontation.
The matter was reported to VIPD’s Domestic Violence Unit on September 23, and a detective was assigned to investigate.
Ault subsequently appeared at the Wilbur H. Francis Command on October 5 accompanied by an attorney. He declined to make a statement and was taken into custody.
He was charged with two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of simple assault and battery, all as crimes of domestic violence. He was additionally charged with disturbing the peace as a domestic violence offense.
Ault was initially subject to $50,000 bail. The court allowed him to secure his release by posting $2,500 in cash, and he was released pending further proceedings.
