81.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesMAN, 39, ARRESTED IN RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD

MAN, 39, ARRESTED IN RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD

Police late Monday night arrested David Eddie, 39, of Estate Tutu 173-134 on charges of aggravated rape in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl Friday morning in Anna's Retreat.
Eddie is charged with abducting the girl while she was on her way to school at about 6 a.m., dragging her into a nearby school yard and raping her.
At an advice of rights hearing Tuesday morning in Territorial Court, Police Detective Roslyn Richards described what happened Friday morning as told to her by the victim, Jean Greaux of Radio One reported.
The girl said a black man approached her as she walked near the Curriculum Center in Anna's Retreat, picked her up and carried her to the back of the Seventh-day Adventist School, where he sexually assaulted her.
When the girl screamed and tried to get away, the man told her he had a knife and threatened to strangle her. He then took her to the second floor of the school where he raped her a second time.
Richards testified that a physician in the Roy L. Schneider Hospital emergency room confirmed the victim had been raped, Greaux reported. Evidence has been collected and will be sent off-island for DNA testing.
The girl identified Eddie from a photo taken of him Monday, the police detective testified.
It was revealed in Tuesday's hearing that Eddie had been convicted in 1981 on similar charges and sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison, according to Greaux.
Judge Ishmael Meyers, who presided over Tuesday's hearing, denied a motion from Eddie's attorney, Joseph Mingolla, that the court accept 10 percent of his $150,000 bail in exchange for Eddie's release.
Meyers said he could not consider such a request, given the defendant's rap sheet, which shows a rape conviction in December 1981 and a charge of attempted rape in January 1982, Greaux reported.
Meyers scheduled Eddie's arraignment hearing for 9 a.m. April 8.
Judge Brenda Hollar had set the bail at $150,000 after Eddie's arrest.
Meanwhile, acting Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds has appealed to the community to "become caretakers of all the children in our midst."
"The public attack of our children is only one piece of the larger picture of abuse, which seems to be rampant in the territory," Simmonds said.
Simmonds said she met Monday with Michal Rhymer of the Family Resources Center and Dilsa Capdeville and Joyce Pruitt of Kidscope Inc. to begin discussions about practical ways for the department and agencies to work together "to stem the rising tide of child abuse" here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.