St. Croix Man Charged After Alleged Lumber Attack on Neighbor

ST. CROIX — A man who reportedly beat his neighbor with a piece of lumber after throwing rocks at the victim is now facing felony assault charges in Superior Court.

On Monday just before noon, police were dispatched by 911 to investigate an assault incident at a residence in the Castle Burke area.

According to court documents, responding officers met a visibly injured man. His left eye swollen shut and multiple lacerations on his head. While receiving medical attention for his injuries, the man said that his neighbor Francis Mason Jr. had taken up the habit of throwing rocks onto his property.

That day, Mason, who lived a street away, was allegedly engaged in doing just that when the man told him to stop. The injured man emphasized to police that he was standing in the roadway at the time, and did not venture onto Mason's property.

When the man turned to walk away, Mason reportedly attacked him with a piece of lumber, beating him about the head.

For his part, Mason admitted to police to beating his neighbor, but claimed that it was in self-defense after the man attacked him first with a piece of wire. Police did not notice any physical injuries on Mason, and arrested him.

He was charged with third-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence, and remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing.

In court on Tuesday, Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold both charges against Mason, however as of press time no information on pre-trial release conditions or modification of the initial $25,000 bail requirement has been made available to the public.