By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
ST. CROIX — A multi-month, interstate manhunt concluded this weekend after a 25-year-old St. Croix resident was tracked down in central Florida and flown back to the territory to face felony charges stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a young girl.
Ajahny Joseph was booked into local custody on July 3, 2026, following a successful extradition process from Orange County, Florida, according to formal records released by the Virgin Islands Police Department. Unable to post a hefty $75,000 bail, Joseph was immediately remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility in Golden Grove. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance before a magistrate tomorrow morning, July 6, at the Superior Court on St. Croix for an advice of rights hearing.
The criminal investigation began on February 9, 2026, at approximately 1:26 p.m., when a formal report was filed regarding the sexual assault of a female minor. Detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigation Bureau quickly launched an inquiry, identifying Joseph as the primary suspect in the assault. However, as investigators moved to close in, they discovered that Joseph had already fled the island.
Refusing to let the trail go cold, local authorities obtained a felony arrest warrant on April 7, 2026, signed by a Superior Court Judge. Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives immediately uploaded Joseph’s information and the active warrant into the National Crime Information Center database, alerting law enforcement agencies nationwide to watch for the fugitive.
The break in the case came when officials in Orange County, Florida, located Joseph and placed him under arrest on the strength of the Virgin Islands warrant. Booking images obtained following his return to the territory show Joseph clad in a uniform polo shirt from an automotive service chain, indicating he may have been working under the radar in the Orlando area during his time on the run.
While the official court dockets remain sealed pending tomorrow’s formal presentation of charges, the successful extradition marks a definitive end to Joseph’s attempts to evade local justice. This case remains under active investigation by the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau as prosecutors prepare their formal filings for the Superior Court.