ST. CROIX — The Virgin Islands Police Department is investigating a series of burglaries in Frederiksted where tools and other items have been stolen and reportedly sold online, but police did not discover any of the items by the time officers acted on a tip that they were stashed at a residence in town.
“We did have some reports of incidents on the north side of Frederiksted, and one or two incidents in the La Grange area,” Acting St. Croix Police Chief Uston Cornelius said.
After reporting stolen items to police, two burglary victims spoke to WTJX under the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation. They criticized the VIPD for failing to follow up on incriminating evidence.
“We had extensive evidence, including images from me buying back stolen goods the next day,” one of the victims said. “With all of that, the police did nothing.”
Cornelius said, however, that police were not provided with sufficient evidence to make an arrest. He confirmed police received a tip that stolen items were being held at a house on the corner of Market and Hospital streets owned by Ten Thousand Helpers of St. Croix.
“Outside of them saying that, we had no other information to go off of,” Cornelius said, noting police searched the house but did not discover any of the items reported stolen. “The only thing that we ran across was some artwork that we’re hoping that the community could assist us if they’re missing artwork.”
Police, however, did not immediately search the premises upon receiving the tip.
Malik Stridiron, Ten Thousand Helpers of St. Croix executive director, said the house, known as “Rainbow House,” which TTH uses to transition homeless men, has been shuttered since sustaining damages during the 2017 hurricanes. He said the house was broken into, leading police to request his permission to enter the building after receiving a tip stolen items were inside. He said police asked him for permission to enter the building sometime before the Crucian Christmas Festival Adults’ Parade on January 4, but that they did not meet him at the house to search the property until January 29.
“We did a complete tour of the whole building and yard, and nothing reported stolen was there,” according to Stridiron.
Although police did not discover any stolen goods on the property, Stridiron said he saw items on the premises during a prior tour of the home with members of Our Town Frederiksted, which is assisting TTH obtain funding to renovate the building.
Shomari Moorehead, Our Town Frederiksted president, said OTF is working with Ten Thousand Helpers of St. Croix to board up the building until funding can be identified for renovations.
“Ideally, we would love to renovate the building and make it additional housing in town,” he said.
Moorehead said several OTF board members who toured the property with Stridiron saw items in the house. He said they waited about an hour for police, but officers never showed up. He said all the items were cleared out by the time police met Stridiron at the house.
“If criminals know the police are coming, they are not going to keep it in the same spot,” Moorehead said.
Both the burglary victims said the thieves posted photos of the stolen items, including power tools, to sell on Facebook.
“It’s amazing how blatantly open and public they are about selling things that were stolen right in their own community,” one of the victims said.
One of the victims identified posts on various Facebook market pages under the name Bob Crest as a fraudulent account. A search for Bob Crest on Facebook revealed a photo of five different Makita power tools spread out on a tile floor that was posted December 11, 2024 on multiple market pages, including “buy and sell in stx,” “LEGIT THINGS FOR SALE IN THE V.I,” “Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Buy and Sell Locally Online,” and “St Croix Vi Buy Or Sell Your Stuff 24/7.”
One of the burglary victims questioned why police could not recover his stolen items despite receiving information about where they were stashed. When it comes to recovering stolen goods and arresting suspects, Cornelius said police must follow protocol.
“We’re here to protect and serve and with us doing our job, we have to do it within the confines of the law,” he said. “If it’s not within the confines of the law, we cannot do what some people would want — just go and take things.”
Cornelius said it helps police when burglary victims can provide information about identifying markings on their stolen property, photographs of the items, or receipts. He said police are also appealing to the community for information.
“We want to piece the puzzle together,” he said.
Cornelius said police would request a warrant from the Attorney General’s Office once they obtain sufficient evidence.
“We’ve been asking the community for their assistance, and the assistance is in relation to anyone that they might have seen in these areas — the north side, the La Grange area — and where they might have seen them taking the goods,” he said.
Anyone with information relating to these burglaries is urged to contact 911, 340-778-2211, or Crime Stoppers VI at 1-800-222-8477.
