A Superior Court magistrate doubled the bail for a man charged with assaulting a nightclub patron in Cruz Bay. Defendant Shakoi Mactavious is accused of stabbing the victim multiple times.
Mactavious was arrested on a warrant June 3 in connection with an alleged assault at Nella’s Lounge on May 21. Charges brought against him included first degree assault, third degree assault and use of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime.
“On Monday May 21 … a male individual was stabbed in St. John and sustained a fractured skull,” said VI Police Department spokesman Glen Dratte.. “The victim was flown off island for medical care.”
Court records indicate the accused used a knife in the nightclub attack. Magistrate Caroline Percell signed the warrant June 1 and set bail at $100,000.
He was remanded to the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas, pending an initial appearance.
When the defendant appeared before Percell a few days later, the magistrate doubled the bail to $200,000.
That unusual move may have been linked to past offenses attributed to Mactavious. Among the charges listed in three previous arrests between May 2016 and August 2017 were robbery and other first and third-degree assaults. First-degree assault is a local charge indicating the accused used a weapon or a threat of harm against the victim.
In order to gain pre-trial release Mactavious would have to post a ten percent bond in cash or property. Public Defender Julie Smith Todman produced a person to serve as a third party custodian.
Percell set an arraignment date for Mactavious’ on June 21 at 9 a.m.
The police spokesperson also said investigators are still seeking witnesses to provide information on the incident at Nella’s Lounge.
Anyone having information is asked to contact the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340) 714-9807. Those who wish to provide assistance anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.
The police emergency number 911 can also be called.
“This matter is currently under investigation by the major crime unit,” Dratte said.