Rape suspect receives
‘conditional dismissal’
~ Ordered not to make contact with wife ~
PHILIPSBURG--Authorities have dismissed charges of rape against civil servant M.J. on the condition that he not have any contact with his estranged wife for at least two years, the Prosecutor’s Office reported Monday.
J. was arrested in April after his wife filed charges alleging that he had forced her to have sexual intercourse with him. He was kept in detention for about three weeks.
The woman, who told authorities that her husband had had sex with her without her consent, requested last week that the authorities drop the charges because she did not want J. to be sent to prison, Windward Islands Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein said.
The Prosecutor’s Office added the stipulation that there be “no contact whatsoever” between J. and his wife within the next two years. If he violates the order the sexual assault charges will be revived and he will be prosecuted – a development that could lead to his incarceration.
The couple is currently separated pending the completion of their divorce proceedings.
