John McCarthy
FREDERIKSTED — A St. Croix man — formerly on the Virgin Islands Most Wanted List — was arrested for allegedly dousing a car with gasoline and then lighting it on fire, authorities said.
Elvis W. Stapleton, 59, of Grove Place, was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree arson, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched units at 5:49 p.m., Thursday to Frederiksted where a victim was requesting police assistance with a male individual who was creating a disturbance, according to the VIPD.
Upon Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives’ arrival, they contacted the victim and witnesses who stated that Stapleton took a jerrycan with gasoline in it, poured the gas over a vehicle’s hood and then ignited it, VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said.
Stapleton fled the area and subsequently was apprehended by officers with no further incident, according to Dratte.
Bail for Stapleton was set at $75,000. Unable to post bail, he was transported to the John Bell Adult Correctional Facility where he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice of rights hearing in Superior Court.
Stapleton made the Virgin Islands Most Wanted in early 2009 when he was being sought on a first-degree rape charge, according to police records.
