William Henry Hodge, 23, of Vester Gade, St. Thomas, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges of armed robbery in connection with the Feb. 19 holdup of the Western Union office on Store Tvaer Gade in Charlotte Amalie.
Along with the robbery counts, Hodge is also charged with witness intimidation, using a firearm in the commission of a crime and interfering with interstate commerce, all federal offenses.
Three days after the robbery, Hodge allegedly went to the home of a witness in the case and threatened to kill her, according to the V.I. Independent.
The witness had seen Hodge and his accomplice remove the stocking masks they had worn during the robbery and she recognized them, the paper said. When she later went to the Western Union office to say that she had information in the case, she was seen by someone she later identified as a friend of the suspect.
That night, Hodge and another man allegedly went to the home of the witness and threatened her, the Independent reported.
No one at the U.S. Attorney's office would say if the witness had been placed in a protection program.
Hodge is in custody, where he will remain until his trial, scheduled for next month.
