ST. THOMAS — Police have arrested and charged a man accused of pointing a firearm at his girlfriend’s 16-year-old son.

According to documents before the court, Michael Johnson’s girlfriend alleges that he physically assaulted her teenage son on Tuesday night. She told police that she arrived home to what sounded like an argument between Johnson and her son. She then heard her son screaming “get off me” and as she entered the residence, she observed Johnson pointing a gun at the child. According to the woman, Johnson pulled the trigger several times causing the gun to make a clicking sound. She immediately reached into her handbag for her mace which she sprayed in Johnson’s face.

The woman recounted that Johnson then dropped the gun to the floor and her son kicked it, causing it to go under the bed in an adjacent room. Johnson reportedly went outside, at which point mother and son left the residence and immediately sought police assistance. According to the probable cause fact sheet, the minor corroborated his mother’s story, adding that he was struck several times to the back of the head with the gun. Officers observed multiple bruises to the back of the child’s head but he declined medical attention at the time.

When police traveled to the residence, they found it ransacked in a nature that suggested a physical altercation had taken place. Officers retrieved the firearm from under the bed as described by the woman and her son. According to the fact sheet, an inspection of the area outside the residence revealed Johnson apparently asleep in the bushes. Officers assisted him away from the bushes and detained him. He was charged with illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm during the commission of a violent crime, third-degree assault as a crime of domestic violence and aggravated assault upon a child.

Johnson appeared for an advisement hearing on Wednesday where it was revealed that he has an extensive criminal history and no strong ties to the Virgin Islands. Judge Paula Norkaitis deemed the defendant a flight risk, also noting that she was very concerned about the allegations against him. Bearing these factors in mind, the judge set bail at $25,000 with no 10 percent provision. Prior to his release, Johnson is required to provide the court with a suitable third-party custodian. He is strictly prohibited from having any form of contact with his girlfriend and her son. However, the judge stated that when released from custody, Johnson is required to continue making contributions to the upkeep of the household as he is not allowed to “punish” the victims of his alleged crimes.

This post was orig­i­nally pub­lished on this site