John McCarthy
CRUZ BAY — A St. Thomas man is accused of breaking into a St. John vacation villa while its occupants were not present, authorities said.
Vanel Prentice, 33, of St. Thomas. was arrested Thursday and charged with third-degree burglary, unlawful entry and trespassing, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Officers of the Leander Jurgen Command were dispatched at 12:00 p.m. on April 28 to a burglary in progress at a villa located at C Vista Villa on Klein Bay Drive in St. John, according to the VIPD.
PHOTO CAPTION: VIPD mugshot of Vanel Prentice, 33, of St. Thomas.
A property manager observed an unfamiliar vehicle parked in the driveway of the villa at 11:51 a.m. on April 28, police said.
The property manager then conducted an inspection of the premises and when they got to the main door, an unknown male opened the door from the inside, according to police.
A police investigation revealed that the intruder, later identified as Prentice, entered the premises without permission from its occupants, VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
“The male gained entrance by damaging a door and entering the premises,” according to Chichester.
The male subsequently entered an unknown vehicle that was parked in the driveway and left the area, she said.
Bail for Prentice was set at $25,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections and jailed.
Prentice is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court on St. Thomas.
This case is currently under active investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Anyone with any information about this crime is urged to contact 911, Criminal Investigation Bureau Detective J. Carty at 340-693-8880 ext. 5207 or Detective S. Rhymer at 340-774-2211 ext.
5572 or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.
PHOTO CAPTION: C VISTA VILLA located on Klein Bay Drive in Cruz Bay on St. John.
