The Virgin Islands Police Department on Monday announced six arrests on St. Thomas that took place over the last week in separate cases, on charges ranging from possession with intent to distribute to grand larceny to robbery to mayhem.
The cases are under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Police urged anyone with information about any of these incidents, or any other criminal cases, to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-774-2211, ext. 5610. They also can also contact 911, Office of the Chief of Police at 340-715-5548, Office of the Police Commissioner at 340-715-5506 or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477.
Julian Frett
Police arrested Julian Frett at 9:15 p.m. Friday and charged him with second-degree assault/domestic violence.
The victim in the case told police that Frett struck her in the face and choked her. She sought medical attention at the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital Emergency Room for her injuries.
Jon Strain
Jon Strain, age 53 and of no fixed address, was arrested by the VIPD at around 2 p.m. Friday and charged with grand larceny.
According to police, Strain was caught on surveillance video removing several tools from a vehicle parked in Sub Base.
Bail for Strain was set at $20,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing.
Samuel Ariel Acosta de la Cruz
At 5 a.m. Friday officers from the V.I. Police Department along with the U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Samuel Ariel Acosta de la Cruz on a warrant charging him with mayhem.
According to police, on Sep. 15 Acosta de la Cruz assaulted the victim by striking him with a bottle and stabbing him with an unknown object. The assault was caught on surveillance footage.
Bail for Acosta de la Cruz was set at $100,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections.
Jelani Walters
At about 9:20 p.m. Dec. 7 officers assigned to the Virgin Islands Crime Initiative arrested Jelani Walters and charged him with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and with possession of ammunition.
According to the police, officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Walters in the Hospital Ground area. When officers approached the vehicle, they noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, which prompted a search. Marijuana, a firearm and ammunition were found as a result of the search, police said.
Bail for Walters was set at $25,000.00. Unable to post bail, Walters was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections.
Ryan Kendal Baskin
At about 2 p.m. Friday detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau arrested Ryan Kendal Baskin, a 29-year-old of no fixed address, and charged him with third-degree burglary.
Baskin was observed on surveillance and positively identified as one of the individuals that removed several tools from a business, police said.
Bail for Baskin was set at $25,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections.
Teavon Browne
At 3:30 a.m. Saturday, police arrested Teavon Browne and charged him with first-degree robbery. Browne was identified as the person who robbed victims of jewelry and electronic devices at gunpoint. No details about the time or place of the robbery or why police suspect Browne was included in the police report.
Bail for Browne was set at $75,000. Unable to post bail he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections.
