Officer Ashley Benton of the V.I. Police Department was arrested Saturday and charged with simple assault and battery.
According to the department, the 911 dispatch center received a call from a St. Croix man at 4:01a.m. saying he been assaulted by the mother of his child at a local bar. The victim, whose name was not released by police, made his way to the Ancilmo Marshall Command at roughly 4:24 a.m. and filed a report.
The victim said he was at a local bar when he was approached by a woman who told him that he needed to take care of his child. The victim asked the woman who she was and she said she was a detective and walked the man towards a private vehicle.
Looking into the vehicle, the victim saw Ashley Benton, described as the mother of the victim’s child. Benton, a VIPD officer, was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle. The victim reported that Benton stepped out of the vehicle and began arguing with him, which then escalated into Benton punching him in the face.
Benton was immediately relieved of duty, and later was arrested and charged with simple assault and battery. She was then released on her own recognizance by Magistrate Jessica Gallivan of the Superior Court.
The incident is being investigated by detectives with the Domestic Violence Unit and agents of the Internal Affairs Unit.
