DIRECT FROM DOCKETS: Home Depot Hit Twice In One Afternoon; Two St. Croix Men Arrested After Police Chase, Traffic Stop

The St. Croix Home Depot was treated like an open-air appliance warehouse on Monday, July 13, 2026, when two separate grand larceny incidents unfolded just over an hour apart.

By the end of the evening, Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) patrol officers had recovered several high-end air conditioning units, initiated a multi-neighborhood vehicle chase, and landed two local men behind bars.Tourism industry analysis

On Tuesday, Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold multiple charges against both defendants, including grand larceny, possession of stolen property, and disobeying police orders.

The first emergency call came in at approximately 5:07 p.m. from Home Depot employees reporting that two men had just walked out of the store pushing a shopping cart loaded with four Quul Brand Smart Inverter Air Conditioning Units. The stolen climate-control stock was valued at over $2,300.00.

Witnesses reported seeing the men load the heavy cardboard boxes into the bed of an older-model Toyota pickup truck before speeding away from the scene.

Responding patrol officers quickly spotted and pulled over a vehicle matching the exact description. Behind the wheel was Elroy Tonge, 30, of St. Croix.