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The owner or general agent of a building or premises where a violation of any provision of this subchapter has been committed or shall exist, or the lessee or tenant of an entire building or entire premises where such violation has been committed or shall exist, or the general agent, architect, builder, contractor or any other person who commits, takes part or assists in any such violation, or who maintains any building or premises in which any such violation shall exist, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than ten ($10.00) dollars and not more than one hundred ($100.00) dollars for each and every day that such violation continues; but if the offense be found to be willful on conviction thereof, the punishment shall be a fine of not less than one hundred ($100.00) dollars or more than two hundred fifty ($250.00) dollars for each and every day that such violation shall continue, or by imprisonment for ten (10) days for each and every day such violation shall continue, or by both, in the discretion of the court.
Any such person who, having been served with an order to remove any violation, shall fail to comply with said order within fifteen (15) days after such service, or shall continue to violate any provision of this subchapter in the respect named in such order, shall also be subject to a civil penalty of two hundred fifty ($250.00) dollars. The Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources, on behalf of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, or of the owner or occupant of any neighboring property, who is or may be particularly prejudiced by any such violations, may, in addition to the other remedies provided by law, institute injunctions, mandamus, or abatement proceedings, or other appropriate action, to prevent, enjoin, abate, vacate, or remove any building erected or any building or use made or maintained in violation of this subchapter or any regulations hereunder.
In any criminal prosecution under this section, the defendant may plead in abatement that such criminal prosecution is based on a zoning law or regulation which is the subject of a civil action wherein one of the issues is the interpretation of such subchapter or regulation and that the issues in the civil action are such that the prosecution would fail if the civil action results in an interpretation different from that claimed by the Government in the criminal prosecution. The court before which such prosecution is pending may order such prosecution abated if it finds that the allegations of the plea are true.