KINGSHILL — One St. Croix man was arrested and a male minor detained after police discovered a truck leaving the parking lot of Home Depot with stolen lumber early Saturday.
Eddie Guadelupe, 24, of New Works, was arrested shortly after 2:15 a.m. Saturday and charged with possession of an illegal firearm and stolen property, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched patrol officers to the Home Depot, after receiving calls of a suspicious white truck parked in its Barren Spot parking lot at 2:15 a.m. Saturday, police said.
Upon officers’ arrival at the Home Depot, officers observed the white truck leaving the area with one adult male driver and one minor male passenger, according to the VIPD.
“Officers made a traffic stop of the truck and asked the driver to step out of the truck when they discovered a firearm in the man’s purse on his person, VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said.
A security guard told police that the manager noticed a white truck driving around the building, and the guard watched the truck pull up and two people got out and started to load lumber onto the truck, according to the probable cause fact sheet filed by police.
The guard called 911, and police said the truck was leaving the area with lumber visible when officers arrived, so they followed it and activated their flashing lights and squawk horn to get Guadelupe to stop..
Guadelupe was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
The minor male, who is 17, was placed in Protective Custody with the Juvenile Investigation Bureau, according to the VIPD.
Police spelled Guadelupe’s name “Guadelope” on social media.