By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
ST. CROIX — A routine trip to Home Depot turned into a high-speed police pursuit through multiple St. Croix neighborhoods on Monday evening, culminating in the arrest of a local man on grand larceny charges.
Joannes Francois was arrested on July 13, 2026, following a coordinated police effort that tracked him from an auto parts store parking lot to an abandoned building in Glynn.
The Parking Lot Encounter
The incident began around 6:25 p.m. when the 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched officers to a reported theft of multiple air conditioning units from the Home Depot store.
While responding to the call, standard mobile patrol units spotted two Black male individuals with dreadlocks loading split air conditioning units into the trunk of a black Acura RDX near AutoZone. When an officer exited the patrol vehicle and ordered the men not to move, the suspects immediately dove into the car and sped away at a high rate of speed—leaving the vehicle’s trunk wide open with the stolen units completely exposed.
A Multi-Neighborhood Chase
The suspects led police on a fast-paced pursuit, tearing into the Sunny Acres neighborhood before fleeing west toward Barren Spot. Due to the high speed and distance, pursuing officers temporarily lost visual contact with the fleeing vehicle.
The breakthrough came minutes later when VIPD Sergeant Moses President broadcasted over the radio that the vehicle had been found abandoned in the Glynn area. Sergeant President successfully tracked the suspects to an old abandoned building in Glynn, where he took Francois into custody. Officers confirmed that Francois—who was wearing a white shirt and sporting dreadlocks—matched the exact identity of the man caught on Home Depot surveillance footage and spotted loading the stolen units at AutoZone.
Charges and Bail
The total value of the stolen merchandise taken from Home Depot is estimated at approximately $2,354.00.
Francois has been officially charged with:
- Grand Larceny (in violation of Title 14 V.I.C. §1083(a)(1))
- Disobeying Orders of a Policeman (in violation of Title 14 V.I.C. §883)
Court documents note that Francois has a prior criminal record on file. After being advised of his Miranda rights, he declined to provide a statement to investigators.
Bail for Francois was set at $20,000.00. Unable to post the amount, he was transported to the John A. Bell Correctional Facility pending his Advice of Rights hearing, which was held on Tuesday morning, July 14, 2026, at the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
AN EXTENSIVELY DETAILED VISUAL RECREATION: Nano Banana 2’s geographic and technical rendering depicts the July 13 confrontation in the parking lot of the AutoZone near the Sunny Isle Shopping Center Annex on St. Croix. The rendering captures a VIPD officer ordering a suspect with dreadlocks in a white shirt to halt as he adjusts stolen Home Depot split air conditioning units in the open trunk of a black Acura RDX.. (St. Croix Sun / Virgin Islands Free Press Graphic)