Busy Burglar Blends in Windward Passage Arrest; Stolen Seafood Distributed Locally: COURT WATCH
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
ST. THOMAS — A forty-one-year-old man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly orchestrating a series of brazen, multi-hour burglaries at a local Annas 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.
ST. THOMAS — A 41-year-old St. Thomas man with a history of prior law enforcement contacts is behind bars after a brazen, multi-day burglary spree targeting an establishment in the Annas Fancy area, according to Superior Court documents filed Thursday morning.
Clifton King faces two felony counts of third-degree burglary and two felony counts of grand larceny following his arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
According to a probable cause fact sheet sworn by the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, patrol officers initially responded to Red’s Hang Out at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, regarding a reported commercial burglary. The business owner, Petra Herman, advised police that she had secured and locked the establishment on Sunday, June 7, before discovering an unlawful entry had occurred.
A detective reviewed the building's surveillance room footage and observed a male wearing a green shirt, blue shorts, and black sneakers repeatedly crawling underneath the business’s security gate between midnight and 2:00 a.m. on June 9. The suspect, who spent approximately two hours on the premises, was captured systematically removing a JBL speaker, a standing speaker, and miscellaneous merchandise valued in excess of $500.
In addition to the electronic equipment, the burglar cleared out the establishment's commercial inventory, taking several hundred dollars worth of perishable food items, including shrimp, lobster, mussels, and fish.
A subsequent review of historic surveillance tapes revealed that the same individual had been on the property on prior dates. Investigators noted that his actions were entirely consistent with someone conducting pre-operational surveillance, testing the establishment's security entry points, and preparing for the break-in.
Upon sharing the downloaded footage within the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Detective Monique Hodge-Donovan immediately recognized the suspect as Clifton King. Later that evening, at approximately 9:00 p.m., a detective spotted King in the immediate vicinity of Red’s Hang Out, but King fled the area on foot before contact could be initiated.
The respite for the business was short-lived. On Wednesday, June 10, at approximately 2:00 p.m., central dispatch notified detectives of a second burglary at the exact same location.
Herman reported to police that surveillance footage from that morning showed King arriving at the property at 9:00 a.m., gaining unlawful entry at 10:00 a.m., and exiting at 11:30 a.m. with an additional haul of business property. Herman further noted that a vehicle arrived to pick up King after he exited, which she believed was driven by King's aunt—a detail police noted was not independently verified before his arrest.
Following the second break-in, a VIPD dragnet was launched by Supervisor Sergeant A. Carty and members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Foot patrols canvas-searched King's known local haunts, where residents informed investigators that the suspect had recently left the area.
Shortly thereafter, Sergeant Carty and Detective Hodge-Donovan observed King walking along the Windward Passage roadway near Veterans Drive. King was detained, advised of his Miranda rights, and transported to the Criminal Investigation Bureau for processing. King declined to provide an official statement regarding the burglaries.
During the course of the investigation, the Criminal Investigation Bureau learned that the substantial quantity of stolen shrimp, lobster, mussels, and fish never made it to the commercial black market. Instead, the premium seafood was distributed among local vagrants and rapidly consumed during a gathering in the immediate vicinity of Luciano Bar.
King was processed by the Forensic Bureau and subsequently remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections.
