Police were summoned to a home in Estate Contant, St. John, where a woman reported an intruder who allegedly assaulted her and her male roommate. The complainant said she was sleeping when the incident occurred.
The accused assailant appeared in Superior Court on Monday, where a magistrate found probable cause for a list of offenses greater than the initial charge of burglary. Magistrate Simone Van Holten-Turnbull set a $40,000 bail after prosecutors told the court it was not the first incident between the defendant and his alleged victim.
“Same defendant, same victim, and in this case there was another individual present, and he too fell victim to an assault,” said Assistant Attorney General Brenda Scales.
The arresting officer told the court that defendant Gregory Benson Louis and the sleeping woman have a child together, and he was at the house earlier in the day on June 6 having a discussion. As the conversation ended, Louis left, said Officer Charles Gumbs.
The victim told police her child’s father did not have keys to their home and did not have permission to be there. But later that night, she said she woke up to find someone trying to strangle her. The male roommate, who was sleeping in a separate area of the home at the time, told police he, too, woke up to find someone trying to strangle him.
Gumbs said signs of a forced entry were found at a window; Scales added that a knife was found outside the home nearby. The female victim also told police that when she tried to use her phone to call the police emergency number, the phone was taken away.
The magistrate expressed concern that the relationship between the two parents was becoming dangerous. “It’s not just domestic violence where the child’s mother was involved, but now there’s a separate victim that was not part of the domestic violence situation,” Van Holten said.
He was charged with first-degree burglary with a domestic violence enhancement, two counts of aggravated assault, disturbance of the peace, possession of a weapon while committing a violent crime, and malicious interference with emergency communications.
Van Holten replaced the no-bail provision set at the time of arrest with $40,000 and said Louis could win pretrial release upon paying a 16 percent cash bond. The court also ordered appointment of a third-party custodian to appear at scheduled hearings with the defendant.
An arraignment hearing was scheduled for June 28.
