The school administrator charged with sexually abusing a student at a St. Thomas elementary school appeared for an initial hearing in Superior Court on Monday. The judge began by saying that part of the advice of rights hearing had already been completed before the formalities began.
Superior Court Magistrate Judge Paula Norkaitis read off the charges against Assistant Principal Clifton Boyd and said that because he was arrested on a warrant, probable cause had already been established. Boyd is charged with aggravated first-degree rape of a minor under the age of 13, unlawful sexual contact, and child abuse.
Boyd appeared at Monday’s hearing by way of live stream video from the Bureau of Corrections, unshaven and wearing an orange jumpsuit.
An investigation by the VIPD Domestic Violence and Special Victims Unit began in August when a high school student at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School told authorities he had been assaulted by Boyd when he was attending Joseph Gomez Elementary School. At the time of the alleged assault, the student said he was in fifth or sixth grade.
Subsequent encounters between the complainant and the defendant led to explicit sex acts behind a locked door in the principal’s office, court documents said.
After hearing the account of an alleged sexual assault, the Kean High School official notified an administrator who, in turn, alerted police and the Department of Human Services.
“… As part of this investigation, law enforcement subpoenaed records from the Virgin Islands Department of Education. The Department of Education has produced multiple documents, confirming that Boyd was assigned as assistant principal at Joseph Gomez Elementary School when (the complainant) was enrolled as a fifth grader during the 2019-2020 school year,” read a statement included in an affidavit produced by investigators.
The most serious charges carry a potential maximum sentence of life in prison, Norkaitis said. Assistant Attorney General Brenda Scales asked the court to increase Boyd’s bail from $500,000 to $1 million, but the judge decided not to.
“We’re asking that the court consider the type of charges he is facing,” Scales said. “This is to protect the children.”
Although the charges are serious and the defendant is considered a danger to the community, Norkaitis said Boyd had no prior brushes with law enforcement and had sufficient personal assets to secure his bail.
But the judge added that allowing the defendant pretrial release on a 10 percent cash bond was not appropriate.
Boyd’s next court appearance — an arraignment — was scheduled for Dec. 12. Norkaitis accepted the request by Sharon Boyd, the defendant’s wife, to serve as a third-party custodian if the bail conditions are enough to allow for a pretrial release.
In past cases of a similar nature, federal authorities have stepped in to successfully prosecute offenders charged with child sexual abuse in the V.I. public school system. On Monday, Attorney General Gordon Rhea was asked if this case might wind up in federal hands.
“The V.I. Department of Justice is working in close cooperation with the VIPD and the V.I. Department of Education to support the full investigation of child sexual abuse in V.I. public schools. At present, this is primarily a local investigation led by the VIPD Criminal Investigations Bureau, with support by our federal partners, including conducting interviews and securing documents. This investigation is ongoing,” Rhea said.
“As detectives develop evidence sufficient for probable cause, victims may be brought by the V.I. Department of Justice for local prosecution.”
The attorney general also appealed to the public to assist in whatever way they can by calling the CRIMESTOPPERS VI at 1-800-222-8477.
“Citizen tips are anonymous and are critical to the ongoing investigation,” he said.
