The V.I. Police Department on Tuesday arrested 28-year-old Matthew Fontaine of St. Thomas and charged him in the sexual assault of a 16-year-old female.
According to the police report, at 10:10 a.m. Sept. 22, Fontaine, who is presently in the custody of the Bureau of Corrections on a separate matter, was arrested and charged with first–degree aggravated rape – domestic violence; first–degree rape; first–degree unlawful sexual contact; child abuse; second–degree rape; and first–degree assault.
Fontaine was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old female on several occasions. The victim reported that he threatened her with a firearm during the sexual assaults.
Bail for Fontaine was set at $150,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing.
St. Thomas/St. John Chief of Police Steven Philip thanked the members of the Criminal Investigation and Youth Investigation Bureaus for working together on the case.
“We must protect our children, and hopefully this will be the start of persons who know something, coming forward and saying something,” the chief said.
According to a Department of Justice, National Crime Victimization Survey 2019, every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Americans, ages 12 to 34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault.
“Just as there is no excuse for domestic violence, there is no excuse for sexual violence,” Philip said.
