Plea Deal Allows Man To Avoid Rape, Child Abuse Charges and Lengthy Prison Term

ST. THOMAS — A man who was facing a lengthy prison term will soon be free after a plea deal which resulted in charges of rape, child abuse, and causing the delinquency of a minor being dismissed.

Mackeem Appleton, who was arrested in October 2021, stood accused of sexually assaulting a minor female in an incident which allegedly took place at his residence on July 1. The investigation resulted in the discovery of pictures and video of Appleton and the minor, who was 16 at the time, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Their inappropriate relationship, according to the girl’s mother, had begun when the minor was 13 years old.

During the course of investigation, police received a missing persons report from the girl’s mother and eventually tracked her daughter to the apartment Appleton shared with his girlfriend and their two young children. The girl was caught by police trying to climb out of the apartment window after Appleton and his girlfriend had told officers that she was not in the unit.

Despite the girl telling police that she lied to Appleton about her age, police uncovered text messages sent by Appleton to the girl’s mother apologizing “for everything I put you and your family through,” and admitting that he knew she was a minor.