A St. Croix student charged with attacking a school bus driver in October has agreed to plead guilty to one count of third-degree assault following a hearing last week in V.I. Superior Court.
Caleave Nigel Mascall Jr. was arrested Oct. 2 and charged with third-degree assault, damaging or tampering with a vehicle and disturbance of the peace. He was remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility but was released to a third-party custodian on Oct. 16 after posting 10 percent of the $25,000 bail and agreeing to abide by a curfew, among other conditions.
According to a record of the court hearing and a subsequent status conference held on Jan. 31, the remaining charges will be dismissed with prejudice, meaning they may not be brought again, and Mascall will be sentenced to probation on March 12 under the territory’s laws governing young offenders once a presentence report is completed.
“The Court inquired of the Defendant and found that he was competent to enter an informed plea, and that his plea was knowingly and voluntarily given,” according to the order issued by Superior Court Judge Ernest E. Morris Jr. “The Court accepted the Defendant’s guilty plea but did not adjudge the Defendant guilty, in contemplation of considering the Defendant’s plea under 5 V.I.C. § 3712(a). The Defendant is 18 years old and has no prior offenses. The Court determined that the Defendant is suitable for treatment under 5 V.LC. § 3712(a). The Court required a presentence report, pursuant to 5 V.I.C. § 3712(b),” it said.
Described in the court filing as the “3712(a) Treatment,” it refers to a section of V.I. Code dealing with first-time offenders under the age of 21 convicted of a nonlife offense and offers the possibility of expungement after five years if the defendant maintains a clean record. Mascall was 18 at the time of his arrest.
Two minors who were arrested along with Mascall were released to their parents pending juvenile court proceedings. All three were students at St. Croix Central High School.
The attack occurred after a verbal altercation between the driver and the students as they were getting off the bus, the V.I. Police Department reported at the time. Video of the incident showed the driver on the floor of the vehicle as he was punched and kicked, suffering injuries that required his hospitalization. Mascall allegedly then left the bus but returned to smash the glass in the door, according to the police.
The incident led to the suspension of all school bus services in the St. Croix district as drivers staged a two-day job action in support of their colleague, and was strongly condemned by the V.I. Education Department.
