Three arrested for hurricane heist at Int’l Motors

Three persons have been arrested in connection with vehicles and car parts that were heisted from International Motors following Hurricane Irma.

Charged are 26-year-old Purcell Estate resident Royanson Harrington, Sophie Bay resident Allister Stoddard, and Melvin Herbert of Fishlock Road.

Harrington was slapped with four charges — theft, driving an uninsured vehicle, driving an unlicensed vehicle, and driving a vehicle without a license.

Stoddard, in the meantime, is charged with taking conveyance, and failing to stop at the sound of a siren. The third accused, Herbert, was also charged with theft.

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) said Herbert was implicated after a search warrant uncovered auto parts belonging to International Motors.

Police said a total of three vehicles and a number of items were stolen from the car dealership after the hurricane.

“Two of the vehicles have since been recovered by the RVIPF,” police said in a media release today.

Meanwhile, the accused men have been granted police bail and are scheduled to appear in the Magistrate’s Court on November 24.

“Prior to their arrests, seven persons appeared before Magistrate’s Court late September charged with burglarising BVI Communications after they were caught attempting to loot the premises,” the RVIPF said.

It added: “The public is encouraged to continue to send videos or photographs of those caught in the act of looting to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force Intelligence Unit. Business owners that have captured looters on their business premises on closed-circuit security cameras are asked to contact the Intelligence Unit at Royal Virgin Islands Police for collection. The RVIPF can now be reached at the following numbers – 344-1818; 344-1822; 344-1977; 545-4866; 468-9001 and 468-9000.”