ST. CROIX — Three individuals connected to Little Saint James were arrested following two separate incidents that occurred on the island involving a kidnapping situation last month and recent allegations of trespassing and assault, according to probable cause fact sheets filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, Division of St. Thomas and St. John.
Little Saint James is the private island off St. Thomas once owned by the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose death on August 10, 2019, in a New York jail cell has been ruled a suicide.
Little Saint James, which includes a primary residence and four guest villas on 71.6 acres, has since been purchased along with the neighboring Great St. James by billionaire asset manager Stephen Deckoff, who plans on turning the islands into a resort destination.
All three defendants were scheduled to appear for an advice of rights hearing Monday morning, and arraignment for all three is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 15.
One of the cases involves the island’s property manager, who faces charges stemming from an incident on March 1 in which a man who was filming the island via a drone was allegedly held at gunpoint with a BB gun that resembles a Glock 19-style handgun, hogtied naked on a boat, and transported to the island against his will. The other two cases involve an accused trespasser who was restrained with duct tape and held on the island on Saturday pending police arrival and a man accused of assaulting the suspected trespasser in the presence of police.
Ann Rodriquez, the property manager of Little Saint James, faces charges of false imprisonment and kidnapping, third-degree assault, and destruction of property in connection with events that unfolded on March 1.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, officers and detectives were dispatched to Little Saint James that day after reports that two individuals had been detained at gunpoint and that one person had been taken to the island. Upon arriving, law enforcement made contact with members of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit, and U.S. Border Patrol, who were already on scene. A U.S. Coast Guard member told investigators that when the Coast Guard arrived in the area, personnel observed a vessel with two individuals at the helm and a male at the rear who was hogtied and completely naked.
With translation assistance, Eloi Gil Sancho told investigators that he and his brother, Marcel Gil Sancho, had traveled to St. Thomas to film a documentary about Little Saint James. He said they rented two jet skis and used a drone to record the island. At one point, the drone was landed briefly on the island’s beach due to weather conditions so that Marcel Gil Sancho could swim to the island and retrieve it before returning to his jet ski. While leaving the area, Eloi Gil Sancho said a boat began aggressively pursuing them. The two brothers became separated, and the pursuing boat caught up to Marcel Gil Sancho.
Eloi Gil Sancho told investigators he observed Rodriquez pointing a firearm resembling a Glock handgun at his brother and heard her repeatedly shout “I will kill you.” He said she ordered his brother to jump into the water and swim to her boat, and that once Marcel Gil Sancho was aboard, Rodriquez ordered him to kneel with his hands behind his head. Eloi Gil Sancho fled to seek help and contacted other boaters, who called 911.
Marcel Gil Sancho told investigators that Rodriquez pointed a firearm at him while yelling aggressively, stating that he believed he would have been harmed if he did not comply. He said Rodriquez and others kept him against his will until law enforcement arrived, and that Rodriquez searched his bag and took the memory cards from his drone.
Agents recovered a BB gun designed to resemble a Glock 19-style handgun. Officers noted that the BB gun closely resembled a real firearm and did not have an orange safety marking. A total of three BB guns were removed from the island.
Rodriquez, who indicated that individuals frequently approach the island to record social media content, stated that she pursued the jet skis by boat and admitted to pointing a BB gun resembling a Glock 19 handgun at Marcel Gil Sancho. She stated that she ordered him to board the boat and transported him back to the island. She admitted that she removed memory cards from a drone and threw them into the ocean. Rodriquez was charged with false imprisonment and kidnapping, third-degree assault, and destruction of property.
The other two cases stem from incidents that occurred on the island on Saturday.
According to court documents, Virgin Islands Police Department detectives traveled by boat to Little Saint James Saturday afternoon, after receiving a report of a kidnapping and/or assault on the island. Upon arrival, officers were met by island residents Emery Poleon and her mother, Rodriquez, as well as her boyfriend, Paul Arnold III. Detectives were then transported by an all-terrain vehicle to a designated holding area on the island, where they found a Tennessee resident, Benjamin Jackson Owen, restrained with duct tape. His body and face were bound, and he was wearing only black pants.
According to a statement Owen gave investigators, he and a group of individuals had traveled to Little Saint James intending to photograph the island for his nonprofit organization. Owen said he was confronted after being observed taking photos, stating that he made contact with Poleon and Rodriquez after they pursued him in an attempt to detain him. He said he became winded during a foot pursuit, sat down, and was then apprehended by several men who lifted him, tied him up, and placed him in a holding area until police arrived.
Poleon, who is approximately five months pregnant, told investigators a maintenance worker alerted her and her mother, Rodriquez, to unknown individuals on the property. When they located the group and told them they were trespassing and to stay put, the individuals fled on foot. Poleon stated that one of the men pushed her as she attempted to photograph the fleeing trespassers, causing her to fall to her side and experience pain. Rodriquez then pursued the fleeing individuals by boat while island workers detained Owen. Poleon indicated a desire to effect a citizen’s arrest of Owen, and he was formally arrested for trespassing. He posted bail, which was set at $500, and was released pending his court appearance on Monday. The court found probable cause for his arrest, advised him of his rights, and subsequently granted a motion allowing him to return to his residence in Tennessee and attend further court proceedings remotely.
Arnold, who was also present on the island, was arrested on a charge of simple assault after an incident that unfolded in front of law enforcement. According to an amended probable cause fact sheet filed Monday, Detective Brian Bedminster, of the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau, wrote that after officers arrived at the holding area where Owen was being held, Arnold exited an all-terrain vehicle parked behind officers and walked past multiple law enforcement personnel. Moments later, Bedminster indicated that he heard a loud impact consistent with a physical strike. Detective Paula Telemaque-Prince, who was photographing Owen at the time, had a direct view of the assault and documented the incident in a written supplement.
Arnold was detained without resistance and handcuffed. While being transported back to St. Thomas by a Marine Unit vessel, Arnold told officers voluntarily that he had become upset after receiving a phone call from his pregnant girlfriend — Poleon — who told him she had been pushed and knocked to the ground by the trespassers. Arnold said some of the individuals had fled and that Owen had been restrained by island personnel to “protect the island.” Arnold posted $500 bail.
