Police arrested 52-year-old Shelva Smith Sunday on St. Coix after an investigation revealed she caused second-degree burns to a juvenile by holding the child’s hand over a hot stove, the Virgin Islands Police Department reported.
At about 4:28 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received a report of a child with burns to the right hand. A detective from the Criminal Investigation Bureau was assigned to the case and determined that Smith was responsible for the injuries, according to the police report.
Smith was at the Wilbur Francis Command Police Station when she gave a statement. She was then arrested on a charge of child abuse, booked and transported to the John Bell Correctional Facility after bail was set at $60,000. She remains in custody pending her advice of rights hearing, the police report stated.