A U.S. magistrate judge on Monday denied a request by federal prosecutors that a former St. Croix police officer accused of a litany of crimes, including attempted murder, be held without bail.
Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Resnick ruled that former police officer Lawrence Benjamin be placed under house arrest until his trial begins sometime in early April. In denying the prosecution’s motion, Resnick agreed with Benjamin’s attorney, who said his client could have fled the territory months ago when the FBI began its investigation into the allegations.
Benjamin’s unsecured, $100,000 bond was put up by his parents in the form of a home in Estate St. John. Benjamin’s father is Cecil Benjamin, who was recently nominated as the V.I. Commissioner of Labor.
Lawrence Benjamin, who resigned from the force in November after eight years, faces eight charges, including attempted murder, civil rights violations, using a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
According to the indictment against the former officer, on Nov. 9, 1999, Benjamin shot Ray Romero in the leg under the guise of the law. Additionally, Benjamin is accused of breaking into a home in order to get 103 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine, however, was actually fake and had been placed in the house as part of a sting operation conducted by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
Although Benjamin left without the drug, the government maintains he intended to distribute it.
Three other officers have also been indicted by a federal grand jury as a result of an ongoing FBI investigation into 13 charges of civil rights violations, theft and unlawful arrest. Adrian Williams, Luis Torres and John Hardy were released last week on $25,000 bail by Resnick. Their trials are also scheduled to begin in early April.
