Grandmother again facing assault charge
Published: July 21, 2012
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ST. CROIX - A 56-year-old grandmother was advised of her rights in Magistrate Court on Friday morning after police said she assaulted a man for the second time this month.
Betty Ann Young of Candido Guadeloupe Housing Community was arrested and charged with simple assault, destruction of property third-degree robbery and grand larceny.
During Young's advice-of-rights hearing, Magistrate Judge Jessica Gallivan told her that she could be sent to jail for more than 25 years if she goes to trial and is convicted on all of the charges against her.
According to the police report filed in the case, the victim told police that Young came to his home July 11 and began arguing with him. He said she attacked him with an unknown object, tore off his shirt and ripped his necklace from his neck before leaving, according to court documents.
During the hearing Thursday, Gallivan said having Young before her on the charges caused the judge some concern, not because the charges were so egregious, but because of the history of domestic violence crimes between Young and the victim.
"This has been an ongoing situation that I am concerned about," he said. "This is a bad situation that could result in injury to one or both of the parties involved."
She said Young had been before the court just two weeks ago in reference to a domestic assault situation with the same man and was on pre-trial release in that case when she was arrested Thursday.
In November, Young was arrested after the same victim told police that she assaulted him, causing injuries to his neck, and just six months before that, in March 2011, Young and the man both were arrested after police said they got into an argument resulting in Young hitting him with a wooden stick, the man kicking Young's vehicle and Young trying to hit the man with her vehicle.
Gallivan set bail at $15,000 per the statute on the charges and denied a defense request that she pay only $500 to secure her release to the third-party custody of her granddaughter.
"I am really concerned about this," Gallivan said. "She just does not get it, and she is going to need at least the 10 percent to secure her release."
Gallivan said that once Young is able to meet the financial obligation for her release, she will need to have a third-party custodian, have no contact with the victim, stay away from the residential area where he lives and maintain a distance of at least 1,000 feet from anywhere that he may be.
"It is imperative that you abide by these conditions, because if any one is violated, you will find yourself under stricter conditions that may involved jail," Gallivan said.
- Contact reporter Fiona Stokes at 714-9149 or email fstokes@dailynews.vi.
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