The owner of a transportation company called police on Monday after he allegedly confronted a woman behind the wheel of a company car. The business owner said the driver was not one of his workers, and no one had permission to drive the car after business hours.
A report filed in Superior Court said officers responded to a call about a vehicle theft in progress. Hayden Fleming, owner of Mr. Fleming Transport on St. Croix, told police that when he approached the vehicle and asked the driver how she got hold of the company car, she drove off with a dog in the passenger seat.
A pursuit began as Fleming tried to follow the driver but said she eluded him. Police were able to spot a vehicle matching a description given by the owner heading east towards Carambola. Court records said they were able to make a traffic stop and arrest the driver who failed to produce identification.
The driver was later identified as Monica Victor. She was held on $25,000 bail and appeared at a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Yolan Brow Ross.
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After a series of jury duty notices sent out by the Superior Court went unanswered, a top court official issued a warning: those who failed to respond may find themselves in legal hot water.
Court Administrator Regina Petersen sent that message to potential jurors seeking to serve as panelists between July and September.
“Superior Court records reveal that many members summoned to appear for the Fourth Quarter Jury Panel (Service Period: July 2024 – September 2024) have not responded to questionnaires mailed to them last month. Other members of the Jury Panel responded but failed to appear at the June 14, 2024, juror orientation,” Petersen said.
The low turnout led to delays in jury selection and that led to delays in scheduling trials; those who fail to respond to a jury notice are violating the law and can be held in contempt of court, the administrator said.
Citizens living in the Virgin Islands who received notices and have not responded are being urged to contact Superior Court Jury Managers Twana Augustin on St. Croix and/or Tisha Buckmire in the St. Thomas-St. John district. They can be reached by calling 340-778-9750, ext. 6635 on St. Croix or 340-774-6680, ext. 6439 for St. Thomas-St. John.
Email contact can be made by writing to JuryManagementSTX@vicourts.org for Augustin on St. Croix or by writing to JuryManagement-STT@vicourts.org for Buckmire.
Continued failure to respond may lead to arrest for the subject of a jury notice or delivery of a summons to appear in court at a show cause hearing.
