Robert S. Bastian, 65, a registered sex offender, was arrested by the V.I. Justice Department Special Agents and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act Unit on St. Thomas. Bastian was arrested for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the Virgin Islands, V.I. Attorney General Ariel Smith announced Wednesday.
Bastian is a Tier 3 registered offender who failed to update and appear on Jan. 5 at the VIDOJ or any time thereafter to update his registration information, as required by law. VIDOJ agents arrested Bastian on Monday at his residence in Hospital Ground without incident, according to the press release.
Bastian appeared in V.I. Superior Court on Tuesday before Honorable Magistrate Judge Paula D. Norkaitis. Judge Norkaitis found probable cause to charge Bastian with failure to register as a sex offender. A $10,000 bond was paid by Bastian however, his defense attorney requested that a secure bond of $5,000 be returned to him. Judge Norkaitis allowed half that bond of $10,000, $5,000 to be returned to Bastian. Judge Norkaitis also stated that Bastian must register at the DOJ office on the fifth of every three months as scheduled. Failure to do so will result in his arrest, the press release stated.
Bastian was convicted in V.I. Superior Court in August 2002 for the crime of unlawful sexual contact and first-degree kidnapping, the release stated.
Pursuant to Chapter 86, Section 1722 of Title 14 of the V.I. Code Bastian is required to register as a sex offender with the VIDOJ and keep his registration current. He is registered as a Tier 3 sex offender and, therefore, is required to appear once every 90 days from his initial registration date throughout his lifetime, it said.
