Kaley L. Lund, a 32-year-old fugitive convicted of involuntary manslaughter, was apprehended in Texas and returned to the Virgin Islands to face sentencing, according to a statement issued Friday by Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea.
Lund appeared in V.I. Superior Court before Judge Yolan Brow-Ross for an advice of rights hearing after being formally arraigned on a new charge of failure to appear in a criminal proceeding. She must post $5,500 bail and secure a third-party custodian and an approved St. Croix address to be released pending further proceedings, according to the statement.
Lund’s return follows her extradition from Corpus Christi, Texas, where she was arrested Thursday by U.S. Marshals with assistance from the Corpus Christi Police Department. The arrest was based on a tip received by Assistant Director Gisselle M. Quinones of the V.I. Justice Department’s Special Investigations Division. Her now-husband, David Keith Hightower, who served as her third-party custodian, was also arrested and charged with hindering apprehension, the statement said.
Lund pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in March 2020 in connection with a fatal crash that killed 25-year-old Marvin Barton and injured another passenger. At the time of the incident, Lund, then 27, was driving under the influence and lacked a valid license. She was initially released after posting $5,000 bail and permitted to reside in Florida while awaiting trial, it said.
Rather than proceed to trial, Lund entered her plea via Zoom on March 7, 2024. Her sentencing, originally scheduled for May 31, 2024, was postponed to June 28, 2024. When she failed to appear, her defense attorney and the Office of Probation reported being unable to contact her. Judge Jomo Meade issued a bench warrant on July 1, 2024, and authorized her entry into the National Crime Information Center database, it said.
Attorney General Rhea praised the efforts of law enforcement and DOJ personnel who secured Lund’s return.
“This arrest highlights the commitment of both the Virgin Islands Department of Justice and our federal partners to ensuring that fugitives are held accountable, regardless of how far they try to escape,” said Rhea. He credited Assistant Director Gisselle Quinones, Director Jerry Inniss, and the Special Investigations teams on both islands, as well as DOJ acting Deputy Attorney General Patricia Lynn Pryor and Criminal Division Chief Amie M. Simpson, for their roles in the operation.
Lund remains in custody while awaiting sentencing.
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