The victim of an assault incident walked into the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station on Jan. 7, at approximately 11:24 a.m., to report the incident, reported the Virgin Islands Police Department.
The victim disclosed to detectives that she was present at Shalom Fenton Sr.’s residence to retrieve their minor child. However, before leaving, she was called to return by Fenton, who told her that she had forgotten some belongings of their child. The victim stated that when she returned, Fenton grabbed her cellular phone to find out who was on the other end. The victim stated that Fenton became enraged and grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, restricting her airway. The victim sustained visible injuries as a result of the assault, according to the police report.
On Jan. 8, members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau made contact with 28-year-old Fenton. He was transported to the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station, where he was advised of his Miranda Rights. He declined to give a statement and was then placed under arrest for assault in the second degree, simple assault & battery, and disturbance of the peace by fighting, all acts of domestic violence. No bail was set in this matter. Fenton was booked and transported to the John A. Bell Correctional Facility pending his advice of rights hearing.
Nicole Angeli, director of the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ Fish and Wildlife Division, shares aquatic safety information during a press conference Friday at Government House on St. Croix. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
Officials from the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency, Department of Planning and Natural Resources and volunteer organization St. Croix Rescue addressed circulating rumors, safety tips and the ongoing investigation into a fatal shark attack during a press conference at Government House Friday afternoon on St. Croix.
Despite quick action from bystanders, Arlene Lillis, 56, succumbed to her injuries after an attack Thursday afternoon at Dorsch Beach, near Frederiksted.
“Encounters with sharks are very common, but encounters that result in a bite are very rare,” said DPNR Fish and Wildlife Director Nicole Angeli, who recommended consulting verified sources of information about sharks like the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. “Even Wikipedia has great information about the occurrence and the numbers of shark fatalities and loss of limb, which you will see is very rare.”
The ISAF investigated 88 alleged encounters between humans and sharks worldwide in 2024, according to its annual report. It confirmed 47 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 24 provoked bites, which occur when a human initiates contact in some way.
“These include instances when divers are bitten after harassing or trying to touch sharks, bites on spearfishermen, bites on people attempting to feed sharks, bites occurring while unhooking or removing a shark from a fishing net and so forth,” according to the report.
The ISAF has recorded four confirmed shark attacks in the U.S. Virgin Islands since 1749.
Angeli said Friday that while shark bites are rare, sharks do gravitate toward fishing activity.
“If you’re on a shoreline, if you’re launching a boat, if you’ve decided to go down and swim around a pier and you see someone cleaning fish around that pier, there is a strong possibility that sharks may smell the fish that is being cleaned and may approach the shoreline,” she said. “So if you do see those types of cleaning practices — which are a part of our culture and a way of life — just be aware, that might not be the best place for you to enter the water or the best place for you to swim.”
VITEMA Director Daryl Jaschen said the V.I. Police Department is leading the investigation into Thursday’s incident and that information will be provided to the public as it becomes available.
“In situations like this, rumors — unverified information — spread quickly,” he said. “We will not traffic in speculation.”
St. Croix Rescue partnered with emergency responders and West End Water Sports to search the waters around Dorsch Beach — sometimes spelled Dorsche Beach — Thursday amid unconfirmed reports that a second person may have gone missing in the area. St. Croix Rescue Chief Jason Henry said searchers only found personal items, including an ID, belonging to Lillis.
“As a result, that actually brought a little solace and peace to us as responders, because there were many speculations that there may have been another individual in the water,” he said.
Nationally, an effort is underway to make shark attacks eligible for wireless emergency alert systems. Dubbed “Lulu’s Law,” the legislation was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate in July and has been received by the House of Representatives. A press release from the office of Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, who introduced the measure, said the law “would encourage authorized local, state, tribal, and federal government authorities to quickly deploy warnings via mobile phone alert messages to the public if a shark has attacked someone or if the conditions enhancing the possibility of a shark attack are present.”
If the bill does become law, Jaschen said Friday, “I think the Virgin Islands definitely would embrace the ability for us to get information out to the community as soon as we can — with the appropriate education.”
With emergency rooms across the territory face increasing strain, Senate Vice President Kenneth L. Gittens is calling for an emergency meeting with the Territorial Hospital Board and the chief executive officers of both Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix and Governor Roy L. Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas, citing mounting operational, financial, and workforce challenges.
In a statement released this week, Gittens said the Legislature has heard growing public concerns for months, including extended emergency room wait times, staffing shortages, supply shortfalls, aging equipment, delayed payroll, and deteriorating working conditions. Those concerns have sharpened in recent weeks following public advisories from hospital leadership warning residents of overwhelmed emergency departments and prolonged waits for care.
On St. Thomas, Schneider Regional Medical Center (SRMC) recently acknowledged those pressures in a social media post advising the community that its Emergency Department was operating at full capacity, even as staff continued to provide care under heavy patient volumes. The advisory underscored the daily demands facing front-line healthcare workers as hospitals attempt to manage patient flow with limited resources.
The capacity warning came about a week before a notable achievement for SRMC: the hospital recently earned full accreditation from The Joint Commission, a nationally recognized organization that evaluates healthcare institutions on patient safety, quality of care, and compliance with rigorous operational standards. According to a recent news release, the accreditation reflects a comprehensive review process, including on-site evaluations of clinical practices, safety protocols, leadership oversight, and organizational performance. Hospital leadership described the designation as validation of the staff’s commitment to meeting national benchmarks and delivering safe, high-quality care to the community.
At the same time, both lawmakers and hospital employees have emphasized that accreditation, while significant, does not resolve longstanding systemic challenges. Staffing shortages, financial instability, and operational pressures — particularly in emergency departments — continue to affect day-to-day hospital performance. Gittens said the Legislature has repeatedly stepped in with appropriations to keep essential services operational, but stressed that financial support must be matched with accountability, transparency, and effective management.
“We do not have a money problem; we have a money management problem,” Gittens said, adding that the requested meeting would allow for confidential discussion of sensitive financial, personnel, and operational matters without compromising patient privacy, employee protections, or ongoing negotiations. The goal, he said, is to identify immediate needs, evaluate leadership decisions, and determine what legislative actions may be necessary ahead of the Governor’s upcoming State of the Territory Address.
“Our hospitals are critical lifelines for our community,” Gittens said. “The people deserve a healthcare system that works, employees deserve respect and reliability, and taxpayers deserve accountability.”
Senate Vice President Kenneth L. Gittens is calling for an immediate emergency meeting with the Territorial Hospital Board and the Chief Executive Officers of Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix and Governor Roy L. Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas to address the escalating operational, financial, and workforce crises impacting both facilities.
Sen. Kenneth L. Gittens (Photo courtesy V.I. Legislature)
For months, the Legislature has heard the growing concerns of the public regarding long emergency room wait times, shortages of supplies, malfunctioning or outdated equipment, wage discrepancies, delayed payroll, and deteriorating working conditions. In recent weeks, those concerns have intensified with public statements from hospital employees and official advisories from hospital leadership warning residents of overwhelmed emergency departments and extended waiting periods.
“These are not isolated incidents. They are clear indicators of a system under severe strain,” Senate Vice President Gittens said. “Our healthcare professionals are showing up every day under incredibly difficult circumstances, yet the problems persist and continue to worsen. This demands immediate, serious, and private discussions focused on solutions.”
Vice President Gittens emphasized that the Legislature has consistently stepped in to assist the Territory’s hospitals and other semi-autonomous agencies when they face financial shortfalls, often through appropriations and re-appropriations of public funds. While that assistance has been necessary to keep essential services operational, he stressed that financial support must be paired with accountability, transparency, and sound management.
“We do not have a money problem, we have a money management problem,” Vice President Gittens stated. “This is evident as the Legislature continues to appropriate and re-appropriate funding for semi-autonomous entities that were designed to generate their own revenues. The people of this Territory cannot continue to pay the price for systemic mismanagement.”
The requested meeting would allow for candid discussion of sensitive financial, personnel, and operational issues without compromising patient privacy, employee protections, or ongoing negotiations. The goal, Vice President Gittens said, is to identify immediate needs, assess leadership decisions, and determine what legislative actions may be required to stabilize hospital operations and protect both patients and staff.
Senate Vice President Gittens further noted that any necessary legislative action, including potential funding reallocations or policy measures, should be addressed promptly, particularly ahead of the Governor’s upcoming State of the Territory Address.
“Our hospitals are critical lifelines for our community,” he said. “The people deserve a healthcare system that works, employees deserve respect and reliability, and taxpayers deserve accountability. This emergency meeting is not optional — it is necessary,” Vice President Gittens concluded.
The Honorable Rhys S. Hodge, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court advises the public and the membersof the Virgin Islands Bar Association of the appointment of Attorney Dalila Patton as Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands effective January 1, 2026.
Attorney Dalila Patton is the new Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands. (Submitted photo)
Attorney Patton is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1999, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She continued her studies by attending Tulane University Law School, where she graduated Cum Laude with a Juris Doctor in 2002. Upon her return to the Virgin Islands, she served as judicial law clerk for the Honorable Judge Edgar D. Ross for 2 years, before joining the Department of Planning and NaturalResources in 2004 as Legal Counsel in its Division of Coastal Zone Management.
In 2010, Attorney Patton was hired as Staff Attorney in the Supreme Court’s Office of the Clerk of Court, where she has diligently and faithfully worked for 15 years.
In August of 2025 she willingly became Acting Clerk of the Supreme Court, and we are pleased to announce her appointment as Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands.
Attorney Patton succeeds Attorney Veronica Handy, who retired effective December 31, 2025, after 17 years of exemplary service in the Judiciary
Former Sen. Wayne James speaks during a legislative proceeding in the Virgin Islands. James continues to pursue post-conviction relief related to his 2018 case. (Source file photo)
People convicted of a crime sometimes file appeals seeking to have their sentences overturned. Appeals can take years to resolve, with decisions resting solely with the presiding judges.
One citizen, who asked not to be named, said she has been waiting five years to sell property left to her in a will, but the property has been held in probate because a relative refuses to negotiate. As a result, she has been unable to obtain a clear title.
The relative had not seen or been in contact with the original homeowner, his father, since birth, the inheritor stated to the Source. The son insists he wants to go to court because he believes he is entitled to more money than she has offered on two occasions.
“We did everything right. We did everything we should have,” she said. The woman has been forced to turn down two buyers and said there has been no resolution. She said she does not believe her attorney can do anything further.
In another case, a former Virgin Islands senator convicted on three counts in 2018 has petitioned the court to overturn his sentence. Former V.I. Sen. Wayne James’s first appeal to vacate the conviction was filed in October 2021 and was denied. James then refiled, and the appeal has remained before Judge Robert Molloy.
James said he will continue to file appeals.
Initially, James was arrested in Italy on corruption charges. Prosecutors said he fabricated invoices and fraudulently requested funds from the Legislature to pay personal debt and assist with his reelection campaign to a second term.
“Why would I take money for my reelection when I received campaign donation checks every month that we routinely returned? We didn’t accept donations,” he said. “That was some of the information that the defense never mentioned. Nor did they talk to my assistant who could verify my attitude toward donations.”
According to the former one-term senator and fashion designer, the funds from the Legislature were used to research Virgin Islands history in Denmark. James said he had discovered an additional female leader of the historic 1878 Fireburn uprising and was in the process of writing a book about the event. Prosecutors said James received more than $90,000 for the project and used approximately $70,000 for personal expenses, including taxes.
Documents stored with other Legislative papers that James said would have supported his defense were destroyed during the 2017 hurricanes.
James said his attorney did not present a defense after the prosecution rested its case, although some witnesses were questioned. He said he expected more than 30 witnesses to testify on his behalf, but none were called. He said his counsel, Omadare Jupiter, told him after the prosecution rested that no defense was necessary because the case presented by prosecutors was not compelling.
“Is it the policy of public defenders not to present a defense for a defender proclaiming his innocence?” James asked rhetorically. He also questioned whether his public defender faced disciplinary action, stating that counsel “did the exact opposite of what he was supposed to do.”
James was found guilty and sentenced in January 2019 to three concurrent terms of 30 months in prison and ordered to repay nearly $90,000 in installments.
James said he was housed in seven prisons during his incarceration, including facilities in Italy and Pensacola, Florida, and that he paid his financial obligation in full.
In October 2021, James filed a motion to vacate his conviction based on ineffective counsel.
“What he put on as the closing argument, should have been what he put on as a defense,” James, a licensed attorney, said. “But a closing argument is not evidence so the jury only has prosecution’s – a one-sided coin.”
After Judge Robert Molloy denied the appeal, James filed a motion to reconsider.
James said the motion to reconsider, accompanied by a memorandum of law, has been pending before Molloy since March 2024. He argues the judge applied the wrong law and ruled prematurely.
Clerk of Court Kia Sears told the Source the appeal has been in the court’s possession for more than a year. Only the judge can determine when to rule on matters before the court, Sears said.
There have been public complaints regarding case backlogs in the Virgin Islands courts.
Sa’akiim Arnold, left, stands with Samuel Rey, chairman of the U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association Education and Training Committee, during the presentation of the 2025 Lorette Resch Scholarship in December. (Photo courtesy USVIHTA)
Johnson & Wales University freshman Sa’akiim Arnold has been named the 2025 recipient of the Lorette Resch Scholarship, awarded by the U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association’s Education and Training Committee. Arnold received $2,500 in scholarship funds in December, the association announced in a press release.
“The Education and Training Committee is proud to award this year’s scholarship to Sa’akiim,” said USVIHTA President Lisa Hamilton. “He has consistently demonstrated his dedication and enthusiasm through his academic achievements and enrichment programs. His participation in internships within his chosen field has provided valuable insight and a strong foundation for his goals.”
Hamilton and Samuel Rey, owner of Host U Services and chair of the Education and Training Committee, presented Arnold with the scholarship check. Funding for the 2025 award was provided through a donation from Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove.
“I believe my passion, combined with my hands-on experience, has prepared me well for any upcoming challenges I may face,” Arnold wrote in his essay to the committee. “I can’t wait to sharpen my skills, learn from a team of professionals and make my contributions to the food and hospitality industries.”
Arnold graduated from Ivanna Eudora Kean High School in 2025, where he earned multiple accolades and participated in extracurricular activities, including the Summer Employment Program. Through that program, he worked with The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, in the culinary department.
Arnold is currently attending Johnson & Wales University, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Food and Beverage Management and Culinary Arts.
The Lorette Resch Scholarship is an initiative of the USVIHTA Education and Training Committee, which supports education and workforce development to strengthen the territory’s hospitality and tourism industry.
The generation loss at the Richmond Power Plant was due to a surge caused by a vehicular accident at the Golden Rock stoplight. Plant personnel has successfully restored generation and power has been fully restored to all affected feeders.
EARLIER:
Please be advised of an electrical service interruption affecting all feeders on St. Croix due to lose of generation. WAPA personnel are working to restore power as soon as possible.
Local residents and visitors are invited to an afternoon of science, storytelling, and imagination at Lift Off: Book Signing & Aerospace Stories, featuring St. John resident, rocket scientist, entrepreneur, and author Richard Jurmain.
“Deus Ex Offing Machina and Apocalypse du jour” by Richard Jurmain. (Submitted photo)
The event takes place on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m. at Bajo el Sol Gallery & Art Bar. Jurmain will share firsthand stories from his remarkable career, including work in NASA Space Shuttle mission control, advanced aerospace programs, and the early development of what would become the modern space tourism industry. In addition to the talk, Jurmain will sign copies of his science fiction novels, Deus Ex Offing Machina and Apocalypse du jour, which blend real aerospace experience with imaginative, thought-provoking storytelling.
To complement the evening’s theme, Bajo el Sol Gallery & Art Bar will feature creative, sci-fi-inspired cocktails and mocktails, designed especially for the event.
Richard Jurmain served on 13 NASA Space Shuttle mission control teams, consulted on cutting-edge aerospace and defense projects, and helped pioneer foundational concepts in space tourism. As an entrepreneur, he founded and built Realityworks, Inc., inventing a microprocessor-based product that gained national and international recognition and was named Fortune Magazine’s Product of the Year. He was later honored as a local Entrepreneur of the Year and a finalist for Wisconsin Entrepreneur of the Year. Now retired from corporate leadership, Jurmain continues to work as an inventor and writer, bringing rare firsthand insight to both his nonfiction stories and science fiction novels.
Lift Off offers a unique opportunity for the community to engage with a globally accomplished innovator in an intimate, local setting. The event is open to the public.
For additional information, contact Bajo el Sol Gallery & Art Bar.
Lift Off: Book Signing & Aerospace Stories with Richard Jurmain
Saturday, January 10 | 4:00 PM
Bajo el Sol Gallery & Art Bar
The University of the Virgin Islands men’s basketball team is preparing for a three-game road swing in South Carolina. The Buccaneers will play three games in four days as they take on Morris College, Clinton College, and wrap up their road trip with a matchup against Voorhees University.
The Buccaneers, who are currently 0-3 in away games this season, look to turn the tide in their favor with the opportunity to even their record on the road. (Submitted photo)
UVI (2-7) returns to action for the first time since its December 17 clash with Olivet Nazarene University at the Seahawk Christmas Classic in West Palm Beach, Florida, hosted by Keiser University.
The Buccaneers, who are currently 0-3 in away games this season, look to turn the tide in their favor with the opportunity to even their record on the road.
The Buccaneers’ first opportunity to secure a road victory this season will be against Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina, on January 9 at 7:30 p.m. EST. The matchup will mark the first time that the two teams have faced off since the 2022-23 season, where the Buccaneers emerged victorious 81-76.
The following day, they will travel to Rock Hill, South Carolina, for a 3:00 p.m. battle with the Clinton College Bears. The last time these two teams met was in a double overtime thriller at the 2023 YES USVI HBCU Classic, with Clinton narrowly escaping with a 92-90 win.
On January 12, the Buccaneers will conclude their road trip by facing Voorhees University at the Leonard E. Dawson Health and Human Resource Center in Denmark, South Carolina. The familiar foes are both members of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
