St. Croix man held without bail in chokehold case involving daughter and toddler

A St. Croix man is being held in custody without bail following allegations that he choked his adult daughter during a violent confrontation at their East End home on November 9, court records show.

Gary Brown was taken into custody Monday morning and faces charges of second-degree assault and domestic violence, simple assault and battery and domestic violence, and disturbance of the peace. The incident took place around 10:26 a.m. at Estate All for the Better in Christiansted after police received a 911 call.

According to the woman's account to detectives, her father, who had moved away five to six months prior following a personal disagreement, entered the residence using a key still in his possession. He immediately confronted her about vacating the property, asserting that he held sole ownership because his name and his deceased mother's name appear on the deed.

The daughter countered that her grandmother's will distributes the property equally to five surviving children, and that her aunt and uncles had authorized her to remain there for the past year. When she refused to leave, Brown allegedly threw a closed fist at her head, but she managed to evade the strike.

Brown then positioned himself behind her, wrapped his forearm around her neck, and pulled upward with enough force to raise her onto her tiptoes and restrict her breathing, according to court filings. Her three-year-old son witnessed the assault and cried out: "Papa, stop!" His pleas caused Brown to ease his grip slightly, giving the woman the opportunity to strike his ribs with her elbow, break free, and reach her phone to call for help.

Brown had left the house before officers arrived. Forensic staff later documented a pronounced dark bruise forming beneath the victim's chin from the chokehold. Detectives found Brown shortly afterward and brought him to the Wilbur H. Francis Command in Frederiksted for questioning.

During his interrogation, Brown acknowledged throwing a punch but rejected the strangulation allegation. He maintained that he only held her firmly after she attempted to strike back, and stated that "if he had strangled her, her neck would have been swollen." He also told detectives that she had "disrespected" him by inviting male guests into the home and that the residence was unclean.

Detectives noted Brown has a prior criminal history. Under Virgin Islands domestic violence law, no bail was set at his initial booking. Brown remains at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility at Golden Grove awaiting an Advice of Rights hearing before Superior Court Magistrate Christopher M. Timmons. The Office of the Territorial Public Defender is representing him.