EMBANKMENT PLUNGE: St. Thomas Woman Arrested After Head-On DUI Crash and 'Belligerent' Standby on Smith Bay Road
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Investigative Reporter
ST. THOMAS — A Friday night car crash near a federal border facility turned into a chaotic scene of alleged intoxication, uncooperativeness, and a 75-foot plunge over a roadside embankment, according to a police affidavit obtained by the St. Croix Sun.
Keezi J. Pinney was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI) and Negligent Driving following the multi-vehicle collision on Smith Bay Road.
According to a probable cause fact sheet sworn out by responding VIPD Officer Sharon Bachan, the incident began at approximately 7:42 PM on Friday, May 17, in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Building. Police investigation revealed that Alana E. Urena was traveling southeast when Pinney’s Toyota Tacoma, traveling in the opposite direction, failed to keep left, crossed the double yellow lines, and sideswiped Urena's Acura RDX.
The impact spun Urena's vehicle around, leaving it crippled next to a Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) pole (number T-08160). Pinney’s pickup truck, however, did not stop at the point of impact, continuing approximately 75 feet forward before plunging completely over the roadside embankment.
'Belligerent' Scene and Refusal to Cooperate
When Officer Bachan arrived at the scene, she encountered a highly erratic situation. The affidavit states that Pinney—wearing a yellow t-shirt heavily stained with what she claimed was a "dipping sauce" from a local bar—exhibited bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, slurred speech, and spoke in incoherent sentences.
While the officer attempted to take a statement from the victim, Pinney allegedly interrupted repeatedly, pacing back and forth, and shouting loudly and aggressively. Officer Bachan noted that Pinney refused to produce her driver's documents until her father, Vance Pinney, arrived on the scene and was instructed to retrieve them from the vehicle.
The behavior allegedly escalated during questioning, with Pinney making loud clapping noises to drown out the interview. "I, along with her father who was present on the scene, asked her to stop and she became more irate," Officer Bachan wrote.
The scent of alcohol emanating from Pinney was reportedly so overwhelming that it entirely filled the interior of the transport vehicle on the way to the Traffic Investigation Bureau. Once at the station, Pinney was advised of her Miranda rights for a second time. While she stated she understood her rights, she refused to sign the document. She subsequently refused to perform a Standardized Field Sobriety Test and flatly refused to provide a breath sample into the Intoximeter breathalyzer machine.
Court Arraignment Scheduled
Even while being processed in the booking room by forensic technicians, Pinney reportedly continued to scrape and knock on the walls as the scent of alcohol filled the room. Emergency Medical Technicians on the scene attempted to evaluate Pinney for injuries, but she refused medical attention. The EMT also noted a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.
Bail was set by the court at $1,000. Pinney was able to secure her release after the cash was posted by her father, and she was released into his custody. Due to her mental state at the time of the booking, both Pinney and her father were formally advised that her mandatory Advice of Rights hearing was scheduled for Monday morning, May 18, 2026, at 8:00 AM before the Magistrate Division at Barbel Plaza South.
The investigation concluded that gouge marks and impact debris left on the asphalt clearly confirmed that Pinney had crossed completely into the victim's lane of travel. Pinney has been issued traffic citations for Negligent Driving and failing to remain as far left as practical.
📰 Sun Snippet: Crash Protection or Rocket Science?
As the debris is cleared from Smith Bay Road, the proximity of the crash to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection building serves as a stark reminder of how vulnerable our local infrastructure remains. Between vehicles tangling with WAPA poles and careening over unshielded embankments, territory roads often feel more like an unpredictable obstacle course than a modern highway system.
Perhaps if tech visionaries like Elon Musk spent less time calculating orbital trajectories for SpaceX and a little more time designing automated, crash-avoidance systems for terrestrial commuter lanes, Caribbean drivers could navigate Friday nights with a bit more peace of mind. Until those autonomous upgrades arrive, the safety of our streets rests entirely on the accountability of the local courts.
