Crime Stoppers and the officers and detectives of local law enforcement thank the citizens of the U.S. Virgin Islands who have submitted 1,140 tips concerning various criminal acts over the last two years. Your tips have assisted in making at least 117 arrests while helping to bring closure to victims and their families.
The tips we receive involve persons suspected of murder, burglary, robbery, sexual assault, and many other types of crime. For example, on St. Croix, an individual is now in jail after trying to avoid apprehension from his involvement in the shooting death of a resident.
The list of unsolved criminal acts is long, but now, because of your assistance, the list has become shorter. Crime Stoppers and law enforcement thank you, the anonymous tipsters, for your help in making our territory safer. Without your assistance, those 117 suspects would not have been arrested.
However, we cannot rest on our accomplishments as there are many other criminals who need to be brought before the bar of justice. One example is the killer(s) of Juan Ayala, a resident of St. John, who was shot in his driveway on the morning of Jan. 5, 2009 at about 8 a.m.
Another is the person(s) who shot and killed Sean O’Connell in the area of Mandahl Beach on St. Thomas as he and his wife were returning home on Friday April 1 at 9:50 p.m.
Law enforcement cannot control crime without the help of citizens. If you know something, say something. Even the smallest bit of information may be just what law enforcement needs to identify and arrest these criminals.
Let’s continue to help make our community a safer place to live by submitting information on these or any other crimes at www.CrimeStoppersUSVI.org or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Your tips are completely anonymous, and the stateside operators speak several languages. If your tip leads to an arrest or the recovery of stolen property, illegal drugs, or weapons, you will receive a cash reward of up to $2,500. Only anonymous callers to Crime Stoppers are eligible for these cash rewards.