Sept. 25, 2008 — A Virgin Islands police dispatcher was arrested Thursday for assisting Carlos Burgos, one of three convicts who escaped from Golden Grove Correctional Facility on St. Croix Sept. 20.
Juliana Simmonds-Burgos, 45, was arrested on a Superior Court warrant at 11:50 a.m. Thursday. Simmonds-Burgos has been employed as a St. Croix police dispatcher for 27 years.
Simmonds-Burgos is charged as accessory after the fact. Her bail was set at $75,000 pending an advice of rights hearing.
Police spokeswoman Melody Rames would not say whether Burgos and Simmonds-Burgos were related.
A convicted murderer, Burgos, 33, was captured late Saturday by V.I. police and other law enforcement agencies. (See: "Second Escapee Captured Without Incident".) Another escapee, Eduardo Carmona Jr., was shot while being apprehended by police and died Sunday at Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital.
The third escapee, Derrick Fredericks of St. John, was still at large and considered "extremely dangerous" by police.
Simmonds-Burgos is the second person arrested for assisting Burgos. On Sunday at 11:30 p.m., 30-year-old Liz Yahaira Brache was arrested and charged as accessory after the fact in connection with the capture of Burgos.
Police Commissioner James H. McCall said Thursday it is "unfortunate that a police dispatcher would jeopardize her career and reputation" to assist a convicted felon. He reiterated that anyone who is suspected of committing a crime will be held accountable and a court of law will determine their innocence or guilt.
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