Murder suspect travels to St. Thomas the U.S. Virgin Islands

Norris Greenhouse Jr., a former law enforcement officer scheduled for trial on Oct. 2 for the November 2015 murder of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis following a traffic stop in Marksville, is currently on a Caribbean vacation to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Attorney General's Office has confirmed to Avoyelles Publishing.

Greenhouse is currently on $1 million bond while he awaits trial on charges of 2nd degree murder of the child and attempted 2nd degree murder of the child's father, Christopher Few, at the deadend of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on Nov. 3, 2015. News of Greenhouse's vacation was originally posted on the Avoyelles Watchdogs for Justice internet blog site.

Although a condition of Greenhouse's bond is that he wear an ankle bracelet to monitor his movements, defendants on bail can be allowed to travel and their whereabouts monitored.

Prosecutors were apparently unaware of Greenhouse's out-of-country trip. “The Louisiana Department of Justice had no knowledge that the defendant would be traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands,” Louisiana Department of Justice Press Secretary Ruth Wisher issued a statement Wednesday.

Defense attorney George Higgins would not comment on his client's trip.

UPDATE: Greenhouse has been ordered to a hearing next week in Avoyelles Parish to answer why he should not be held in contempt of court in that the court learned that his ankle bracelet was not being monitored. This hearing indicates Greenhouse did not have permission from authorities to travel out of state.