Ten years after a young visitor told hospital personnel that she was raped during a family vacation, her accused assailant was brought into court. An initial hearing was held in Superior Court’s Magistrates division for defendant David Takayama on Thursday.
Investigators prepared a complaint against Takayama on Dec. 20, 2023, detailing an incident that allegedly took place in August 2014 at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort. No details were provided about the circumstances that led to the defendant’s Thursday appearance.
He is charged with first-degree rape, domestic violence, assault, and use of force in order to commit rape. Superior Court Magistrate Simone Van Holten-Turnbull upheld the charges and set the date for arraignment.
Takayama posted a $40,000 bail later that day.
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A St. Thomas man pleaded guilty to raping an underage female in Superior Court on Thursday. Prosecutors said the charges brought against Mackeem Appleton stemmed from unlawful sexual contact with a female minor who was living in his household between February 2020 and July 2021. An additional charge of third-degree assault was added while the change of plea hearing was in progress.
Appleton was arrested in March 2023 and has been held in detention since then. Superior Court Judge Kathleen Mackay sentenced the defendant to three and a half years in prison minus time served.
The judge also ordered the defendant to stay away from the victim upon release.
