Attempted murder suspect Nestor Colaire is back in jail after violating conditions of his bail, and will remain behind bars until his trial, tentatively scheduled for September.
Judge Rhys Hodge revoked Colaires bail and remanded him back to the V.I. Bureau of Corrections after hearing testimony on Thursday, June 8, that Colaire violated his curfew and threatened a St. John man in late May at The Front Yard.
The witness did a great job, said Attorney General Ernest Bason, chief of the V.I. Justice Departments criminal division for St. Thomas and St. John. Colaires been remanded back to the Bureau of Corrections, and hes got to sit there until the trial date.
Colaire is accused of violating conditions of his release by making threats against the St. John man and by being at the Cruz Bay bar around midnight. He was required to stay at the home of his mother, Marlene Casimir of Estate Pastory, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Colaire did not deny making the threats during his testimony, but said the incident occurred closer to 10 p.m., according to Bason.
He didnt deny it, but he said that the time was more like 10 or 11, said Bason.
Curfew Violated
Colaire testified that he was out past curfew because he had to go to St. Thomas to get diapers and ointment for his child, according to Bason.
He said he had to get Pampers and ointment, and it was too expensive on St. John so he took a barge to St. Thomas, said Bason. The St. John man who Colaire threatened found a lot of holes in Colaires story, he said.
He admitted that he came up to me past curfew, but he said I had the time wrong and that it was closer to 10, which I know wasnt true because I was at work then, said the man. He said that he went to see his kids mom after he got off work at 5, and that he needed to go get Pampers and ointment at the store. Colaire said the store was closed, but Starfish is open until 9.
Colaire testified that he came back on the 8 p.m. ferry, but could not provide an explanation for where he was between the time he got back on St. John and the time he encountered the man he threatened, according to Bason.
The St. John man said it was difficult to sit quietly in court while Colaire told his version of events.
He twisted around what I said so much that it was all I could do not to jump up and yell out, he said.
The St. John man said he was happy to see justice served, and thanked St. John Tradewinds for informing Bason of Colaires violations. Im happy to see the right thing happen, said the St. John resident. The judge saw the right side of the story. The police department wasnt going to do anything about it, so none of this would have happened without the St. John Tradewinds.
When the St. John man tried to file a police report the day after the threats were made, the officers at Leander Jurgen Command told him they were unfamiliar with Colaire, according to the man, despite the fact Colaire was required to check in with the V.I. Police Department every day as a condition of his release.
Colaire has been charged with attempted murder, arson and being an accessory after the fact in connection with the Oct. 29, 2005, murder of David Geiger and the attempted murder of Geigers son, Nathan.
Colaire was arrested on Dec. 12 and released on Feb. 6, when he was ordered to follow a curfew, check in with the V.I.P.D. daily, not leave the territory and not violate any V.I. laws.
He will likely face trial for his role in the crime in September, according to Bason.
Renell Lettsome, who is charged with beating Geiger to death and severely beating Geigers son Nathan, will face trial in August, and jurors in Colaires trial can not be chosen from the same jury pool, which changes every three to four months, said Bason.
