Two St. Thomas men are facing robbery related charges in connection with incidents in the British Virgin Islands.
Officials of the BVI government on Monday confirmed the weekend arrest of Shaqil Roberts, 22, of St. Thomas in relation to a June incident in which a local contractor reported being held at gunpoint by two assailants near a construction site.
Previously, BVI authorities charged Shamori Richardson, 28, also of St. Thomas, with robbery in the same incident. Roberts was to appear in court on Monday and Richardson made an initial court appearance on Aug. 30 and was later remanded to custody.
In a previous statement to the news media, Head of Territorial Policing Superintendent St. Clair Armory said the armed robbers who approached the businessman came both knowledgeable and prepared.
“The assailants came expecting to take funds from the contractor, which he should have had to pay his employees. Fortunately, those funds were not on him at the time," Armory said. "We know that assailants study or are informed of the routine movements and money transfers of their victims, therefore, we encourage businessmen or contractors to use checks or direct bank deposit to pay workers on work sites.”
Richardson’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 6. As of press time, there was no indication if Roberts was remanded following Monday’s court appearance and when his next court hearing will be.
