CHRISTIANSTED — Two cars stolen from the Department of Health headquarters in St. Croix on Friday were recovered by police the same day because the vehicles had GPS-tracking devices in them, authorities said.
Jeremy I. Allen, 25, of Peter’s Rest, was arrested at 5:01 p.m. Friday and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Officers were notified of the theft of two vehicles from the Virgin Islands Department of Health’s headquarters in Estate Richmond at 1:26 p.m. Friday, according to the VIPD.
The vehicles were quickly discovered by officers. The vehicles were carefully followed by officers and tracked by the Virgin Islands Department of Property and Procurement using GPS technology, through Sion Hill, Sion Farm and Peter’s Rest.
Each vehicle was recovered undamaged, but they will each undergo a thorough inspection before being returned to the Health Department’s fleet for use by staff.
Allen allegedly admitted to police that he stole one of the vehicles, VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.
Bail for Allen was set at $50,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections(BOC) pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
The other suspect is still at large. The investigation into this incident continues.
Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion expressed her gratitude for the collaboration between all three agencies as they acted quickly to recover the stolen vehicles.
“The safety and security of our premises is a top priority for us,” Encarnacion said. “This news is disappointing as these vehicles are critical to our operations — especially our COVID-19 response. We use our vehicles for everything from community engagement to patient transport. I am relieved that this matter has been rectified quickly.”
St. Croix Chief of Police Sidney Elskoe applauded the joint efforts of the agencies and recovery of the vehicles without damages or injuries. He encourages anyone with information about the incident to contact the VIPD.
All individuals mentioned as arrested or charged with a crime in this article are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.