Ritz Guest Demands “Queen’s English.” Gets a Night In Jail.

ST. THOMAS, USVI — Charlotte DePersia, a guest at the Ritz Carlton In St. Thomas, spent the last night of her vacation in a jail cell after insulting the hotel staff and demanding to be addressed in the “Queen’s English," according to the V.I. Police.

DePersia, 68, lives most of the year in East Hampton, New York but travels to St. Thomas multiple times a year, as reported by the Virgin Islands Daily News. She usually stays at the Ritz. This trip ended differently. DePersia was arrested on Thursday night and ultimately charged with interfering with an officer and disobeying a lawful order.

According to police, DePersia first came to the attention of hotel staff around 6 p.m. on Thursday evening when she began playing music on a portable stereo near the pool. Multiple staff members reminded her of hotel rules prohibiting the use of stereos. DePersia ignored the attendants.

DePersia then walked to the hotel lobby where she complained that she was being unfairly harassed by hotel staff. She demanded that the staff members be reprimanded in front of her and refused to leave the hotel lobby.

At that point, reports the Daily News, DePersia became verbally abusive to the hotel staff and refused to wear a mask despite multiple requests from hotel employees and police officers. According to the affidavit, she also lunged at several employees. At one point, according to the affidavit, “Ms. DePersia stated that our Caribbean accent and wearing our mask is preventing her from understanding. Ms. DePersia also stated that the officers must speak in ‘Queen’s English’ in order to speak to her.”

Police ultimately arrested DePersia after she refused several requests to leave the lobby. DePersia was unable to post the $1,000 bail and spent the night in jail. Territorial Public Defender Alexia Furlow later said that DePersia was unable to access her wallet to post the bail because it was in the hotel safe.

DePersia appeared in V.I. Superior Court via video conference on Friday morning for her advice-of-rights hearing. Her bail was kept at $1,000. Later in the day, a police officer escorted DePersia back to the Ritz so she could get her wallet and belongings and return to New York.

DePersia has had several previous arrests for alcohol-related offenses, including driving under the influence and violating the terms of her probation, as reported by Patch Southampton.

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