ST. THOMAS — Police have arrested and charged a woman accused of attacking her roommate with a machete.

Ebony Miller was detained on Wednesday night after police were dispatched to Pillsbury Heights in reference to a fight in progress. There, they met Miller who stated that she needed police assistance to remove her roommate from her apartment. She explained that she had agreed to let the roommate stay with her temporarily, on the condition that the woman would babysit her son. However, Miller claimed that the woman was not living up to the agreement and that the roommate had locked the apartment after they got into a fight.

The roommate agreed to unlock the apartment door when police arrived and she spoke with them. She explained that she had met Miller through a mutual acquaintance and that Miller had agreed to let her stay with her until she was able to get money to move on. She told police that she had been at the apartment for about three weeks and that on the night in question she had watched Miller’s son all day. She explained that Miller returned to the apartment with a friend that night and appeared to be intoxicated. Miller then told her that she and her friend were going out and asked that the roommate watch her friend’s child as well as hers. The roommate refused, stating that she could only watch Miller’s child. Miller then got angry and left, but later texted her, “you are [expletive] up the network, you a lame for the [expletive] you pulled tonight!” 

The woman claims that Miller and her friend then returned to the apartment and Miller began shouting at her, demanding that she leave. The roommate told police that she told Miller “as per our agreement I will leave when my money comes.” Miller then began to throw her items outside the residence and the woman went to retrieve them, placing them back in the room. According to the woman, Miller then got a machete from inside the house and approached her in the bedroom, swinging the weapon. The roommate said Miller swung the machete at her face and she put up her hands to protect herself, sustaining cuts to her right hand in the process. She recounted that she was eventually able to push Miller out of the residence and lock the door. 

According to the probable cause fact sheet, an eyewitness told police she had entered the apartment after overhearing the fight and found the two women in a tug of war over the machete, with Miller’s son under them. She explained that she had advised them to stop fighting but they refused. The witness reportedly secured the child in her vehicle while the altercation went on. 

The responding officer observed a television at the front of the doorway as well as a machete measuring about two feet in length. The roommate was also bleeding from injuries to her hand and she was transported to a medical facility for treatment. According to the fact sheet, police detained Miller who had a strong odor of alcohol on her person. She was taken into custody after being treated for swelling to her hand which appeared to be the result of a bite. She was charged with third-degree assault, disturbance of the peace and using a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence.

At her advisement hearing on Friday, bail was set in the form of an unsecured bond valued at $5000. The judge highlighted that Miller had no prior convictions. However, Miller must present a suitable third-party custodian to the court before she can be released and she must also surrender her travel documents. She will be placed on a 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. curfew on the days when has to report to work. On days when she is not working, Miller is not allowed to leave the house under any circumstances.

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