The year is ending as it began with a series of sexual assaults, the majority involving young female victims. In the last 24 hours Virgin Islands police have reported at least four sexual assault incidents.
On St. Thomas, the most recent involves a 5-year-old who allegedly has been assaulted by her father. Officials of the Department of Human Services reported to police that the victim had been assaulted by her father. Although charges have not been filed in the case, police juvenile detectives are about to make an arrest, St. Thomas Source has been told. The incident has been categorized so far as a first-degree rape.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with raping a 13-year-old. The investigation began when both were found engaged in sexual intercourse last week in a bathroom at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School.
The girl told investigators that she had confided to the boy that her stepfather, Pedro Alcantara, had sexually abused her since the age of 10 and asked that he not tell anyone about it. The boy agreed but later told her that she must have sex with him if she wanted him to maintain his silence.
Since the girl's confession about the incident, Alcantara has been charged with aggravated rape.
On Tuesday the boy was charged with having sex with a minor by using intimidating tactics. He was released to parental custody.
The other two rape incidents occurred on St. Croix where Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis reported that a 14-year-old girl was molested by her stepfather over several years.
As of publication time, no charges have been brought in the case.
Police have charged a FEMA employee, Steven A. Griffey of California, with second-degree burglary and unlawful sexual contact after he was found in a hotel room with a female FEMA employee by her boyfriend. Deputy Chief Francis said the woman and another female had returned to their room at the Golden Grove Apartments when the boyfriend of one of the women came to the apartment to find Griffey "lying on top of his girlfriend" who Francis described as "still somewhat intoxicated."
Griffey ran from the apartment when the man entered the home.
More than 45 incidents of rapes have been reported this year. The vast majority have involved minor children, primarily females.
