March 19, 2007 — The Police Department stayed busy with incidents requiring officer assistance over the weekend involving a well-known government official and at least one of their own.
An off-duty police officer on St. Thomas is under investigation for striking someone during an event at the Palms Court Harbor View hotel that began Saturday night and went until the wee hours Sunday, Police Spokeswoman Shawna Richards confirmed Monday.
Richards did not identify the officer charged. According to sources familiar with the event, the off-duty police officer struck an individual with a nightstick. The incident was reported at 6 a.m. and listed as an aggravated assault and battery.
Richards also failed to indicate whether the officer was placed on leave pending an investigation by the department's internal-affairs unit.
Also Monday, Richards deferred comments about a longtime Police detective on St. Thomas getting in an auto accident while driving under the influence.
According to sources who witnessed the accident, the detective plowed a government-owned vehicle into other vehicles parked in the Frenchtown area, damaging them as well as the one he drove. Responding officers allowed their colleague to leave the scene of the accident without administering a sobriety test, the sources said.
Richards said she had not heard of such an incident. Acting Police Commissioner James McCall could not be reached for comment. When asked for comments directly from McCall, Richards said he was at the Legislature for his confirmation hearing.
In a weekend incident on St. Croix, Police arrested former senator Alli Paul on a domestic-violence charge. Officers arrested him just before 9 p.m. Friday for allegedly tugging and shoving a woman. Paul, 58, now serves as director of the Consumer Protection Office in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs.
With Superior Court closed for the weekend, Paul was forced to spend the weekend jailed without bail in accordance with domestic-violence laws mandating that those charged with such assaults be bound over pending an appearance before a judge.
Paul has an advice-of-rights hearing Monday. Efforts to get a report of its outcome were unsuccessful Monday afternoon.
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