ST. THOMAS — The Virgin Islands Department of Health on Tuesday issued a statement following the alleged rape of a male victim who resides at D.O.H.’s Eldra Schulterbrandt Facility, located in Estate Tutu.
V.I. Department of Justice Public Media Officer Corliss Smithen announced on Monday that V.I. Superior Court Magistrate Henry V. Carr III, found that there was sufficient probable cause to move forward on rape and related charges against a mentally-ill man, Wingrove Clarke, for the alleged rape of the Eldra Schulterbrandt Facility resident.
Police arrested Mr. Clarke, 59, on May 30 on charges of first-degree rape and first-degree unlawful sexual contact after receiving reports that he sexually assaulted another man.
In the statement, D.O.H. Commissioner Michelle Davis said D.O.H. moved into action immediately once it learned of the incident.
“The Department of Health is taking this situation very seriously. We are working closely with the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Department of Justice, and taking measures to ensure the safety of all of our patients,” Ms. Davis said. “We do not condone violence within any of our operations.”
She mentioned other actions being taken at D.O.H. in light of the alleged rape, include increasing nursing rounds within the facility, and exploring other security measures that can be implemented, “in order to ensure that this kind of incident never happens again.”
D.O.H. Director of Mental Health Berlina Wallace-Berube said the department has been in contact with the family of the victim, stating that atop D.O.H.’s priorities relative to the incident, was assuring that the victim’s mental and physical well-being is addressed.
“We have ensured that the individual is receiving therapeutic intervention, which includes individual and group therapy,” Mrs. Wallace-Berube said.
At Mr. Clarke’s advice-of-rights hearing Monday morning, Magistrate Carr sustained the charges, maintained his bail at $85,000 and allowed him to be released on posting ten percent into the custody of his brother.
Magistrate Carr also ordered Mr. Clarke to abide by a number of court-imposed bail conditions and ordered him to take his medication as prescribed.
According to a probable cause fact sheet filed by Det. Shenika Simon in support of Clarke’s arrest, the victim reported that Mr. Clarke has sexually assaulted him on more than one occasion and whenever he tried to resist, Mr. Clarke would “grab him, bully him and be aggressive towards him.”
During a police interview, Mr. Clarke, who suffers from Schizoaffective, a mental disorder, admitted that he “raped a guy,” Det. Simon wrote.
Mr. Clarke is scheduled to return to court on June 22 for his arraignment hearing, at which he will formally answer to the charges.
Feature Image: Example of the inside of a mental institution.
Tags: Eldra Schulterbrandt Facility, rape, st thomas, us virgin islands, Wingrove Clarke
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