Two men were arrested Monday in separate theft cases involving air conditioning units stolen from Home Depot on St. Croix, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department.
The first incident was reported at 5:07 p.m., when Home Depot personnel told police two people allegedly stole four Quul brand smart inverter air conditioning units from the store, according to a VIPD police report.
Police said responding officers stopped a vehicle driven by Elroy Tonge that matched the description provided by witnesses. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Tonge leaving the store with the stolen merchandise, police said. The air conditioning units were valued at more than $2,300.
According to the police report, Tonge was arrested and charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property after being advised of his rights.
Later that evening, at about 6:25 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received another report that two men had allegedly stolen multiple air conditioning units from the same store, police said.
Responding officers spotted two men, one of whom matched the description provided by witnesses, loading split air conditioning units into a black Acura RDX near the AutoZone parking lot, according to the report. Police said the suspects fled toward the Sunny Acres area when officers approached.
Officers apprehended one of the suspects, identified as Joannes Francois, who police said was observed loading the stolen air conditioning units before attempting to flee. Francois was arrested and charged with grand larceny, the report stated.
Police said bail for both men was set at $20,000, and they were remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending their advice of rights hearings.
