Busy Burglar Blends in Windward Passage Arrest; Stolen Seafood Distributed Locally: COURT WATCH

By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter

ST. THOMAS — A 41-year-old man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly orchestrating a series of brazen, multi-hour burglaries at a local Anna’s Fancy establishment, culminating in a foot chase and a successful police takedown along a major waterfront thoroughfare.

Clifton King was arrested by Virgin Islands Police Department detectives following a targeted manhunt. Court records filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands reveal that King has been hit with two counts of Third-Degree Burglary and two counts of Grand Larceny after he was caught on high-definition surveillance repeatedly raiding a local business over a forty-eight-hour period.

High-Definition Footprints and Midnight Raids

The investigation was set in motion on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, when VIPD patrol officers and Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives responded to a reported commercial burglary at Red’s Hang Out in Annas Fancy. The owner discovered that an intruder had bypassed security and unlawfully entered the establishment.

Detectives immediately pulled the business's surveillance tapes, uncovering a meticulous and highly determined operation. The recorded footage showed a lone male suspect—matching King’s exact description—wearing a green shirt and blue shorts. Between midnight and 2:00 a.m., the suspect spent approximately two hours crawling underneath the establishment's security gate, systematically removing merchandise.

According to sworn police affidavits, the haul was substantial and highly specific. The suspect walked away with high-end electronic equipment, including a JBL speaker and a standing speaker, with an estimated value exceeding $500. Furthermore, the intruder cleared out several hundred dollars worth of perishable seafood, including commercial quantities of shrimp, lobster, mussels, and fish.

Structural Surveillance and the Daytime Return

As detectives reviewed historical footage from the security system, they discovered that the burglary was not an isolated impulse. The same individual was captured on camera on prior dates, appearing to actively conduct surveillance on the property, test the business's structural security measures, and prep for the break-in.

VIPD Detective Monique Hodge-Donovan quickly identified the individual in the footage as King, a resident well-known to local law enforcement from prior criminal contacts.

With an identification secured, detectives initiated a nighttime patrol of the Annas Fancy area on June 9. Investigators spotted King, but the suspect managed to flee the immediate vicinity on foot before officers could pin him down.

Taking advantage of his initial escape, King allegedly returned to the exact same storefront the very next morning, June 10. Surveillance footage from the second incident documented the suspect arriving at 9:00 a.m., breaking back into the business at 10:00 a.m., and spending another hour and a half inside before exiting at 11:30 a.m. with additional stolen property. Witnesses reported seeing a vehicle arrive to pick up the suspect, though the identity of the driver remains unverified by police.

The Windward Passage Takedown

The second brazen daylight break-in triggered an immediate all-hands response from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Under the direction of Supervisor Sergeant A. Carty, teams of detectives flooded areas known to be frequented by the suspect.

Though local residents informed investigators that King had caught wind of the police presence and fled the immediate neighborhood, detectives expanded their grid. Shortly after the deployment, Sergeant Carty and Detective Hodge-Donovan spotted King on foot, walking along the Windward Passage roadway near Veterans Drive.

Detectives moved in rapidly, detaining King and advising him of his Miranda rights. He was transported to the Criminal Investigation Bureau for formal processing, where he declined to provide an official statement regarding the double-burglary.

While King was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections, VIPD investigators uncovered a final twist to the commercial heist. Intelligence gathered in the field revealed that a substantial portion of the stolen shrimp, lobster, and premium food items never made it to the black market; instead, the stolen goods were distributed among local vagrants and rapidly consumed during a massive street gathering in the immediate vicinity of the Luciano Bar.

MUGSHOT: Official booking photo of Clifton King, 41, provided by the Virgin Islands Police Department following his arrest on Saturday August 15, 2026 in connection with an armed robbery investigation in Subbase. (VIPD PHOTO)