ST. CROIX — A woman is facing domestic violence charges after police say she injured her boyfriend with a machete during a dispute at a residence in Estate Tipperary.
Police were alerted to the incident Friday evening after someone called 911 to report an assault at the residence. When officers arrived, they spoke with a man who said his girlfriend, Anne Bettger, had cut his finger with a machete during an argument.
According to the man, the disagreement began when Ms. Bettger wanted to enter his room to mop and he resisted her attempt to enter the space. He told police that Ms. Bettger then armed herself with a machete and swung it at him, cutting his finger before he was able to take the weapon away and throw it onto the road out of reach.
The man also told officers that Ms. Bettger had bitten him earlier in the day. Police reported observing a laceration on his fingers, a bite mark on his left arm and what they described as “recent bite marks” on his back. He told officers that he had not been the person who called 911 on Friday, claiming that he had contacted VIPD earlier in the week but received no response.
Officers later learned that Ms. Bettger had placed the 911 call. The man told police that she was inside the apartment sitting calmly and cooking, and officers said they found her as described. Ms. Bettger confirmed that she had called authorities but denied using a machete. She told police that she had merely wanted to rest the mop inside the room when her boyfriend refused her access.
Ms. Bettger, in turn, accused her boyfriend of assaulting her during the confrontation, claiming that he had bloodied her lip. Police documented a small laceration on her upper lip as well as what they described as “an old injury” on her hand.
Because of concerns about Ms. Bettger’s mental health, police detained both individuals and transported them to Juan F. Luis Hospital for evaluation. According to police, Ms. Bettger declined treatment and expressed a preference to be remanded into custody instead.
She was subsequently arrested and charged with third-degree assault and simple assault and battery, both as crimes of domestic violence. Police said Ms. Bettger showed some resistance during the booking process before being transported to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility to await her first court appearance.
As of press time, the outcome of Ms. Bettger’s advice-of-rights hearing, scheduled for Monday before Magistrate Christopher Timmons, was not yet available.
