John McCarthy
Cigarette Butt Assault on Store Bicycles Leads to Police Intervention with ‘Bad Chandler’
By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
SION FARM — A St. Croix resident described as a “known vagrant” remains in police custody today after allegedly turning a routine Wednesday afternoon shopping window into a hostile storefront disturbance.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at approximately 2:30 p.m.. Officers Jonah Smith and Destiny Stout of the Wilbur Francis Command patrol division were dispatched by the VITEMA 911 Emergency Call Center to the Cost-U-Less retail store at 4300 Sion Farm.
According to court documents, the responding officers made contact with store supervisor Magdelene Welcome. Welcome reported that 37-year-old Chandler Somerlot had been loitering at the main entrance of the business, smoking cigarettes, and deliberately extinguishing them on the bicycles displayed for sale outside the storefront. Fed up with the hazard, store management made it clear to police that they did not want Somerlot anywhere on the property.
A Defiant, Rapid-Fire Return
Somerlot had temporarily slipped away before the officers’ initial arrival, prompting police to advise store staff to call 911 immediately if he dared to step foot on the premises again.
They did not have to wait long.
Approximately ten minutes after the initial police departure, the VITEMA 911 Emergency Call Center lit up again with reports that Somerlot had boldly returned to the entrance. Somerlot’s rapid-fire return to the storefront—occurring mere minutes after being escorted away.
Upon returning to the store, Officer Stout personally observed Somerlot standing defiantly right at the main entrance of the business. Investigation into the suspect’s midday activities revealed that Officer Jonah Smith had already responded to a complaint regarding Somerlot earlier that same day. During that earlier encounter, Somerlot had reportedly been screaming profanities, cursing loudly, and actively threatening both Cost-U-Less employees and innocent customers.
During that initial run-in, Officer Smith had issued Somerlot a direct, lawful verbal order never to return to the commercial property. Somerlot openly acknowledged that order—only to intentionally walk back onto the property less than an hour later.
Handcuffed and Remanded to John A. Bell Prison
Seeing the suspect back on the scene, Officer Stout and Officer Smith took Somerlot into custody without further incident. Somerlot, whose arrest was captured on department-issued body-worn cameras, was advised of his Miranda Rights and transported to the Wilbur Francis Command for processing.
Authorities noted that Somerlot had been taken to the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital earlier in the day by police officers for a mental evaluation following a separate disturbance at a nearby business, where he was subsequently released.
Somerlot has been officially charged with:
- Trespassing under Title 14 V.I.C. § 1741(a)
- Disobeying a Lawful Order under Title 14 V.I.C. § 883
- Disturbance of the Peace under Title 14 V.I.C. § 622(1)
Because Somerlot has a prior criminal record on file and was unable to post the required $500.00 bail, he was remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility. He is scheduled for his Advice of Rights hearing today, July 16, 2026, before the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands in Kingshill.
