Ethelbert “Bert” Benjamin, 57, as arrested Friday on a warrant charging him with rape, the third time he has been charged with with rape, and each charge was for a different victims, according to the V.I. Police Department.
VIPD officers arrested Benjamin at about 6:20 p.m. Friday on a warrant issued by a Superior Court Magistrate.
Benjamin is charged with first-degree aggravated rape, first-degree unlawful sexual contact and child abuse, the police reported. Bail was at set $150,000 and he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing.
On Sept. 29, 2016, he was arrested for first-degree rape after a 20-year-old woman reported that he had raped her after offering her a beverage to drink.
On Nov. 22, 2016, he was arrested on a Superior Court warrant. He was charged with first-degree aggravated rape, first-degree unlawful sexual contact, and child abuse. A female family member told police he sexually assaulted her. Bail was set at $150,000 and he was placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring.
The VIPD urged anyone who has been sexually assaulted to call the Domestic Violence Unit at 340-778-2211 on St. Croix or 340-774-2211 on S. Thomas, or call the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477.
