ST. THOMAS — A St. Thomas woman is facing assault and weapons charges after police say she attacked a man with a rusty machete when he came to collect the remaining $80 owed on a raffle ticket.
According to court documents, the man told police that he had organized a raffle to dispose of his vehicle, with each ticket priced at $100. On Sunday, Abigail Perez reportedly purchased a ticket and promised to pay the $100 later that day.
When the man went to collect the money, Perez reportedly gave him $20 and promised to pay the remaining $80 the following day.
The man told police that on Monday afternoon, he sent Perez a voice message asking for the balance. He said the voice of someone else who was present at the time could be heard in the message.
Shortly afterward, Perez reportedly left a voicemail loudly chastising him for discussing her debt in front of others. She also told him to come and collect the $80 balance.
When the man arrived at Perez’s room at the former Embers Guest House, he said he was surprised to find her holding a rusty machete. Perez allegedly began shouting again about him speaking about the money she owed in front of other people.
The verbal exchange quickly escalated, according to police, when Perez allegedly swung the machete at the man’s neck.
The man told police he tried to dodge the blows but was still struck on his upper body, arms, both legs and buttocks by the blunted, rusty machete. The attack left red, swollen marks in the areas where the weapon struck him, according to the report.
Perez was the person who called authorities to report a disturbance.
She surrendered to police on Wednesday but declined to provide a statement. She was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, simple assault, possession of a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence, and disturbance of the peace.
Perez was remanded into custody and appeared before Magistrate Simone VanHolten-Turnbull on Thursday morning.
The judge found probable cause to uphold all charges and allowed Ms. Perez to post $1,000 of the $25,000 bail requirement to secure her release, with the remainder signed as an unsecured bond.
If released, Perez must report to the probation office in person twice a week, surrender her passport and other identity and travel documents, and comply with other standard bail conditions.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 26.
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