Suspect Elroy Tonge Blames Elusive ‘$100 Helper Deal’ with ‘Mr. Joel,’ While Joannes Francois Flees Into Estate Glynn ‘Crack House’
By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
BARREN SPOT — The St. Croix Home Depot was treated like an open-air appliance warehouse on Monday, July 13, 2026, when two separate grand larceny incidents unfolded just over an hour apart. By the end of the evening, Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) patrol officers had recovered several high-end air conditioning units, initiated a multi-neighborhood vehicle chase, and landed two local men behind bars.
On Tuesday, Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold multiple charges against both defendants, including grand larceny, possession of stolen property, and disobeying police orders.
Incident 1 (5:07 p.m.): The ‘Mr. Joel’ $100 Pick-Up Job
The first emergency call came in at approximately 5:07 p.m. from Home Depot employees reporting that two men had just walked out of the store pushing a shopping cart loaded with four Quul Brand Smart Inverter Air Conditioning Units. The stolen climate-control stock was valued at over $2,300.00.
Witnesses reported seeing the men load the heavy cardboard boxes into the bed of an older-model Toyota pickup truck before speeding away from the scene.
Responding patrol officers quickly spotted and pulled over a vehicle matching the exact description. Behind the wheel was Elroy Tonge, 30, of St. Croix.
When questioned about his cargo, Tonge offered an explanation straight out of the defensive playbook:
- The Alibi: Tonge claimed he never set foot inside the store. He told officers that a man he knew only as “Mr. Joel” had offered to pay him $100 to help transport some items from Home Depot.
- The Drop-Off: Tonge stated that after the units were loaded, they drove off together. “Mr. Joel” then asked to be dropped off at the Clifton Hill traffic light on the Melvin Evans Highway, instructing Tonge to meet him later at the Mon Bijou dump site to hand over the units.
- The Tape Says Otherwise: Unfortunately for Tonge, Home Depot surveillance footage told a different story. Store security cameras reportedly captured Tonge actively exiting the store alongside “Mr. Joel” while pushing the cart full of stolen Quul units.
Tonge was arrested on the spot and charged with Grand Larceny and Possession of Stolen Property.
Incident 2 (6:25 p.m.): High-Speed Chase Ends in Estate Glynn ‘Crack House’
The dust had barely settled from Tonge’s arrest when the 911 Emergency Call Center lit up again at 6:25 p.m. with an almost identical report. Home Depot employees stated that another pair of Black males with dreadlocks had just pilfered a second batch of split air conditioning units.
As officers rushed back toward the area, they observed two males in the nearby AutoZone parking lot hurriedly loading split A/C units into the trunk of a black Acura RDX.
The moment the suspects saw the blue police lights, they slammed the vehicle into gear and tore out of the parking lot with the SUV’s trunk still wide open.
What followed was a high-speed game of cat-and-mouse through the mid-island roadways:
- The Pursuit: Responding officers pursued the speeding SUV as it headed toward the Sunny Acres area.
- Losing the Tail: The suspects managed to temporarily break the officers’ visual contact after darting deep into the residential roads of Sunny Acres. Officers soon spotted the vehicle moving west toward Barren Spot, but again lost its trail in traffic.
- The Abandoned Vehicle: The chase came to an abrupt halt when an officer discovered the black Acura SUV abandoned in Estate Glynn.
- The Crack House Apprehension: Police observed the suspects fleeing into a nearby structure, described in court documents as an old, abandoned “crack house”.
Officers breached the building and detained Joannes Francois, 33. Police positively identified Francois as the same individual they had observed loading the stolen air conditioning units into the Acura SUV near AutoZone before attempting to evade capture.
Francois was arrested and hit with charges of Grand Larceny and Disobeying the Orders of a Police Officer.
Remanded to John A. Bell Prison
Bail for both Tonge and Francois was initially set at $20,000.00 each, and both men were remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending their initial Advice of Rights hearings.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Magistrate Brow Ross maintained the charges. While Tonge awaited his Wednesday bail hearing, Francois was ordered to pay $1,600 in cash to secure his release, with the remainder of his $20,000 requirement posted as an unsecured bond. Francois is currently subject to a strict 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew and is scheduled to return to court on July 29, 2026.