Charges Filed Against St. Thomas Man Accused of Strangling, Punching Ex in Domestic Dispute

ST. THOMAS — A man is now facing felony assault charges after reportedly attacking his girlfriend after she refused to lie down with him.

In early September, a St. John woman went to the police to report being assaulted by the man who she had been dating for the past six months.

The woman said that on September 5, Mohammed Ahmad asked her to travel to St. Thomas to see him, because he had sprained his leg. When she got there, he admitted that his story was not true. He then told her that he needed to go see his mother, and so the couple set off to meet her.

Along the way, the woman said she told Ahmad to take the back road, since she knew that he was not allowed to date or be seen with her. However, he reportedly saw his father in the Agave area and began to panic. His then-girlfriend said that they eventually decided to go back to his apartment, where he dropped her off and left again to see his mother.

When Ahmad returned home, the woman said she was lying on the couch. He tried to lay on top of her, and began to forcefully pull her hair when she tried to push him off of her. She told police that she warned her then-boyfriend that she was going to bite him because he was hurting her, and told him to stop.

When he refused to stop, the woman said she indeed bit Ahmad, pushed him off, and got up from the sofa. That angered her ex, who reportedly pushed her onto the bed, sat on her, and began strangling her with both hands while verbally abusing her and spitting in her face.

Despite her saying that she wanted to go home and telling him that she could call one of several family members to pick her up, Ahmad instead cajoled her to accompany him to the store for water. She was prevented from taking her bag with her as they left, however.

Upon their return to the apartment, Ahmad asked his then-girlfriend to lie in bed with him. She refused, and he once again became upset. The woman told police that he hid a key under the mattress, and when she found it she walked towards the door. That reportedly prompted Ahmad to rip open the bag that contained the woman's belongings and hurl a bottle of hair gel towards her.

He reportedly escalated to punching his now-ex on her arms, breasts and stomach. When she threatened to call police, he reportedly told her to go ahead, as she would be dead by the time they arrived. Fearful for her safety, she did not call for police assistance.

Ahmad continued the assault, and when the woman again threatened to report the abuse, he reportedly began to record himself, highlighting the scratches he had received during her attempts at self-defense. When the woman was finally able to exit the apartment, she said she called a friend to report the situation as she walked away. As she did so, she told police that Ahmad pulled up next to her in a vehicle, accusing her of being dramatic and begging her to get in.

The woman said she rebuffed his entreaties and instead waited with a friend until she could get a boat back to St. John.

After that incident, the relationship was over. The woman told police that she stopped answering Ahmad's calls, and he began calling her from different numbers instead. He has also begun walking past her place of employment and smiling at her, which she told police made her uncomfortable. The woman said she spent several nights away from her own home, out of fear for her safety.

Ahmad turned himself in to the VIPD's Domestic Violence Unity on October 23. After declining to provide a statement, he was arrested and charged with simple assault, second-degree assault, and disturbance of the peace, all as crimes of domestic violence. He was remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing.

In court last Friday, Magistrate Paula Norkaitis found probable cause to uphold all charges against Ahmad, and set bail at $1000. He must now report to the probation office every week by telephone, and is prohibited from using alcohol or other controlled substances. Ahmad is also now banned from unlawfully contacting his ex-girlfriend, and must not visit her place of employment unless conducting legitimate business.

His next court appearance is scheduled for November 8.