Mugshot of Donna Emmauel. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A woman is facing multiple felony charges after police say she forced her way into her ex-boyfriend’s apartment, assaulted him, armed herself with knives and damaged his belongings during an early morning domestic violence incident.
According to court documents, police were called around 6:30 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report that Donna Emmanuel was inside her ex-boyfriend’s residence causing a disturbance.
Responding officers met with a man who said he had been out with friends Friday night watching a basketball game and returned home around 6:00 a.m. Saturday. As he was walking to his apartment, he reportedly saw Ms. Emmanuel driving into the parking lot.
The man told police that he knew his ex “did not have any good intentions for him,” so he tried to hurry inside. However, Ms. Emmanuel reportedly reached him and began tugging on his jacket.
As the man walked through his apartment door, Ms. Emmanuel allegedly shoved him aside and forced her way in.
Once inside, Ms. Emmanuel reportedly began cursing and accusing the man of engaging in sexual activity. The man told police that he reminded her they were no longer in a relationship and asked her to leave his apartment.
According to the man, the request only angered Ms. Emmanuel further. She allegedly began kicking and hitting him. Despite his attempts to push her away, Ms. Emmanuel reportedly continued the assault until the man restrained her in a bear hug while she cried and continued questioning him about his sex life.
She allegedly began assaulting him again, kicking him in the crotch. The man told police he pushed her to the ground, after which she got up and ran to the kitchen, where she armed herself with two large knives.
The man said Ms. Emmanuel advanced toward him while swinging the knives, forcing him to dodge the weapons until he was able to grab her wrists and disarm her.
After allegedly refusing a second request to leave the apartment, Ms. Emmanuel reportedly began damaging the man’s personal belongings, including his video game console, clothing, jewelry and fan.
The man said he began recording her on his cellphone while avoiding her attempts to take the phone. Ms. Emmanuel reportedly ran into the kitchen again, and the man said he used that moment to leave the apartment.
The man’s roommate then emerged from the bedroom and warned him that Ms. Emmanuel had armed herself with two additional knives and was following him out the door. The man called 911 while keeping his distance from his ex-girlfriend.
Police reviewed the man’s cellphone footage and said it corroborated his account. The roommate’s version of events also corroborated the man’s story.
Officers observed scratches on the man’s left arm, right arm and chest. They also saw what appeared to be blood on both of his arms.
Ms. Emmanuel gave police a different version of events. She said she went to her ex-boyfriend’s apartment because she was worried after he skipped a planned meetup and did not answer her phone calls.
She told officers that the man invited her inside, but became violent after she made derogatory remarks about his hygiene. Ms. Emmanuel claimed that he hit her in the face, slammed her to the ground and tried to strangle her. She attributed the damage inside the apartment to him being a “nasty individual.”
Ms. Emmanuel denied arming herself with knives and denied assaulting her ex-boyfriend. Police observed injuries on her, including a scratch on her lip and a mark on top of her chest, which she said were caused by the man’s violence against her.
Ms. Emmanuel was ultimately arrested and charged with first-degree burglary, third-degree assault, simple assault & battery, carrying or using a dangerous weapon, and disturbing the peace by fighting, all as crimes of domestic violence.
She was remanded into custody and appeared before Magistrate Christpher Timmons on Monday.
During her advice of rights hearing, the judge found probable cause to uphold all charges against Ms. Emmanuel. Bail was initially set at $75,000 with a $15,000 property requirement, but a subsequent bail hearing was scheduled for Tuesday morning.
As of press time, the outcome of Tuesday’s hearing had not been made available to the public.
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