John McCarthy
By: Virgin Islands Free Press News Desk
KINGSHILL, St. Croix — A 21-year-old St. Croix man is facing multiple criminal counts after being linked to a commercial burglary at Cheeseburger in Paradise, marking his second major felony arrest in under fifteen months.
Deshawn Henley was taken into custody on July 31, 2026, by detectives assigned to the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Burglary Unit. He made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Christopher M. Timmons, Sr. on Monday morning, August 3, 2026.
Court documents confirm that Henley has been formally charged with:
- Third-Degree Burglary (14 V.I.C. § 444)
- Petit Larceny (14 V.I.C. § 1084(a))
- Destruction of Other Property (14 V.I.C. § 1266)
During Monday’s Advice of Rights hearing, Judge Timmons established bail at $25,000. Henley was granted release to a third-party custodian upon posting $1,500 in cash, with the remaining balance set as an unsecured bond. Appearing with Territorial Public Defender Sonsirez Robles, Henley entered a plea of not guilty to all counts and requested a speedy jury trial. The case has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Venetia H. Velazquez, with a formal discovery conference slated for September 30, 2026.
History of Repeat Offenses
Superior Court docket records show that Henley was already awaiting resolution in a separate, active felony case at the time of his latest arrest.
In May 2025, Henley was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, damaging or tampering with a vehicle, and driving without a valid license under case SX-2025-CR-00119. In that incident, VIPD officers utilized Apple AirPods tracking software to intercept a stolen 2017 Gold Kia Sportage near Morning Star after it was taken from outside the Caribbean Community Theatre. At the time of the 2025 traffic stop, police observed a destroyed driver’s door handle and exposed ignition wiring, along with a backpack containing $1,197 in cash inside the vehicle.
With the new charges handed down this week, Henley now faces dual criminal dockets in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
