COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL FELONY SEXUAL CONTACT CHARGE DROPPED IN ‘FOOD VAN’ ARREST
VIPD press release touted a major sexual assault investigation, but Superior Court dockets show a judge struck down the state's highest felony charge for lack of probable cause prior to Friday's arrest.
Rafaeh Abdallah Hassan in a booking photograph provided by the Virgin Islands Police Department following his arrest on June 12, 2026. Superior Court dockets reveal a judge struck down the top felony charge against Hassan prior to his arrest. (Facebook)
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Investigative Reporter
SUNNY ISLE — A 30-year-old St. Croix man is free on bail this weekend following his arrest on Friday in connection with a workplace assault investigation that began in late March.
While a VIPD public notice highlighted a "sexual assault investigation" stemming from a March incident at "Waffle Burger" in Christiansted, formal initiating documents show the state's highest charge failed to meet judicial standards. The business, a familiar mobile food van operating near Gas For Less in Diamond Plaza across from the Sunny Isle Shopping Center, became the center of a Department of Justice probe that ultimately saw its top felony count completely struck down.
According to the newly obtained Information sheet filed by the Office of the Attorney General, prosecutors initially sought to charge Rafaeh Abdallah Hassan with Unlawful Sexual Contact in the First Degree, a felony carrying significant prison time. However, court records show that charge was completely struck down prior to his arrest, with an explicit handwritten notation marking it as "NO PC"—signaling a judicial finding of No Probable Cause.
As a result, Hassan is currently facing only two downgraded, lesser misdemeanor offenses:
Simple Assault and Battery (14 V.I.C. § 299)
Disturbance of the Peace (14 V.I.C. § 622)
The charges stem from an allegation that Hassan intentionally struck an adult female coworker on her buttocks with his hand while at the workplace.
Because the case was stripped of its felony status, Hassan was able to secure his release immediately following his June 12 arrest by posting a modest $500 cash bail.
Hassan is officially scheduled to appear before the Honorable Judge Yolan C. Brow Ross on Monday morning, June 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in St. Croix Courtroom 103 for his Advice of Rights hearing.
WHAT THE VIPD REPORTED ON FACEBOOK THIS AFTERNOON
A 30-year-old St. Croix man is free on bail this weekend following his arrest on Friday in connection with a workplace sexual assault investigation that began in late March.
According to the Virgin Islands Police Department, the investigation was launched on the afternoon of March 29, 2026, when an adult female arrived at the Wilbur H. Francis Command police station to report that she had been inappropriately touched by a male individual while at her place of employment.
The case was turned over to the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Following a multi-week probe by CIB detectives, the suspect was formally identified as Rafea Abdallah Hassan.
Detectives successfully secured an arrest warrant for Hassan from a Superior Court Judge on June 8, 2026. Four days later, on Friday, June 12, CIB officers executed the warrant and took Hassan into custody without incident.
Following his arrest, Hassan was booked and processed. He was able to quickly secure release after posting a $500.00 bail bond.
Timeline breakdown for Rafea Abdallah Hassan
March 29, 2026: The initial police report was filed at the Wilbur H. Francis Command. At this point, it is strictly an active internal police investigation, not a court case.
June 8, 2026: This is the critical pivot date. CIB detectives finally went to a Superior Court Judge to secure the formal arrest warrant. This is the exact moment the court docket system would have generated a case number.
June 12, 2026: Hassan was physically arrested.
June 15, 2026 (Monday): The Advice of Rights hearing takes place.
The Real Story: The Top Felony Charge Was Scratched
If you look at the handwritten notations on the first page of the Information document filed by the Attorney General's office, the highest and most severe charge did not survive judicial scrutiny:
Count One is Crossed Out: The state initially attempted to charge Rafaeh Abdallah Hassan with Unlawful Sexual Contact in the First Degree (14 V.I.C. § 1708(a)(1)), which is a serious felony.
The Smoking Gun Notation: Right beneath the crossed-out felony text, a judge or reviewing authority explicitly wrote "NO PC" (No Probable Cause).
The Downgraded Reality: Because the felony charge lacked probable cause, the court portal screenshots show that the case is now only moving forward on two lesser misdemeanors: Count 1: Simple Assault (14 V.I.C. 299(1)) and Count 2: Disturbance of the Peace/Threats (14 V.I.C. 622(1)).
This perfectly explains why his bail was set at a low $500. The VIPD’s public notice made it sound like they busted a major workplace sexual assault felony, but the actual court records show the major felony charge was rejected by the court before he was even picked up on June 12.
An official Superior Court document obtained by the St. Croix Sun News shows the original top charge of felony Unlawful Sexual Contact in the First Degree crossed out by hand, accompanied by a handwritten "No PC" (No Probable Cause) judicial notation.
