St. Croix man charged with assault and mayhem after machete attack on family members

ST. CROIX – A man is charged with assault and mutilation after a vicious machete attack on his sister and her husband.

According to court documents, Clairmont Sackey called 911 last Thursday afternoon and reported that someone was trying to break into his home in Estate LaGrange. He identified the intruders as his sister and brother-in-law, told 911 dispatchers he was armed with a machete and said he intended to kill them.

Officers who arrived on scene noticed that there appeared to be several traces of blood on the walkway to the home. The male victim was taken to hospital by ambulance while police spoke to Mr Sackey’s sister.

She explained that she and her siblings share responsibility for the home, which originally belonged to their mother. During her last visit, she told one of her siblings, a sister, that if a certain screen door was locked when she returned, she would break the lock to get in, since no one seemed to have a key. This comment indicates possible tensions between the siblings regarding access to and authority over their mother’s home.

When the woman and her husband arrived home last Thursday afternoon, they found the screen door locked. The woman told police she used a hammer to break the lock, allowing her husband to open the front door with a key. On the other side, her brother, Sackey, reportedly blocked the door in an attempt to keep it closed. When they tried to enter, the woman saw her brother holding a long, rusty machete. Sackey allegedly began waving the weapon and threatened to kill his sister and her husband, eventually hitting the man in the face, arms and back.

Sackey’s sister told officers she ducked when he swung a punch in her direction, initially reporting she was not injured. However, police observed what appeared to be blood on her dress, as well as on her back, arms and neck. Later, when she spoke to officers at the hospital, she said she had not realized she had been hit. She appeared to have a long scratch on her right upper arm.

At the Juan F. Louis Hospital emergency room, the woman’s husband was treated for what police called “a serious injury” to his lower lip, for which doctors advised he would need plastic surgery to repair. He also suffered two lacerations to his left forearm and told police he was unable to move his left little finger, which doctors said may have been the result of a ruptured tendon. The man confirmed his wife’s story and said he received death threats every time Sackey brandished the machete.

The alleged aggressor, who was apprehended after police arrived at the home, was taken to the police station and agreed to make a statement. He did not dispute his sister and her husband’s account of events and admitted that he attacked them after they tried to gain entry to the house. According to police, Sackey said he was old and had to defend himself, saying he used a hammer in the incident.

Clairmont Sackey was arrested and charged with first- and third-degree assault, maiming and possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Unable to post the $75,000 bail as initially set, he was taken into custody pending his hearing recommendation.

In court on Friday, Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold all charges against Sackey and ordered bail reduced to $15,000. One thousand dollars of that amount must be paid in cash for Sackey to secure his release, while the remainder must be signed as unsecured bonds by himself and his third-party custodians.

His next court appearance is scheduled for November 13.