A 12-year-old Glucksberg resident was robbed at gunpoint in his home on Wednesday, August 23, around noon. The boy was home alone at the time.
I was home watching TV, and when I went up to get a drink, there were two people standing at the door, staring inside, said the boy, whose name is being withheld for his safety. I opened the door to see who it was, and they came in with a gun. They held a gun to my head and said, dont say anything or Ill shoot you.
The two men then ordered the boy to show them where the money was kept, according to V.I. Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Thomas Hannah.
Looking for Money
They forced him into the home, and asked him for money, and where they might find that money, said Hannah.
The men took a ring from upstairs, then asked the boy how to get downstairs, the boy told police.
The door downstairs was locked, so they kicked it in, he said. They asked me again to help them look for money.
The two men began breaking bottles full of change, and forced the boy to sift through the broken glass to get change for them.
The boy complied, cutting himself in the process, he said.
They started throwing stuff around, looking for money, said the boy. When they left, they asked me for my name, and they said if I talked they would come back for me.
The men took an undisclosed amount of money, according to Hannah, who said the boy reported he was not hurt or harmed during the robbery.
Misunderstanding With V.I.P.D. on Suspects
The boys mother, who was at work at the time, was informed by a neighbor that men with guns had entered her home.
I just freaked out, said the mother, who immediately informed her husband and sent him home to check on the boy. I called my son and told him to crawl under the bed, lock the door, and not to move until he heard his fathers voice.
The boys mother said she was overall happy with the V.I.P.D.s response to the robbery, but there was one incident that caused her some confusion.
We were sitting in our kitchen with an officer, and we heard on her radio that they had picked up two people for my son to identify, she said. When we got to the police station, they said they did not have any suspects and that there must have been a misunderstanding.
This type of misunderstanding could happen very easily, according to Hannah.
If the police picked up individuals they saw in the area and took them to the station, but then discovered they were not armed with guns, or did not have items from the home on them, they could have been released, he said. This is something that happens on occasion.
Hannahs first response when questioned regarding the robbery was to provide a warning to the victims mother, who violated V.I. Code by leaving her 12-year-old son home alone.
The mother has to be careful, said Hannah. She left her child at home alone. Leaving a child under 16 home alone is a violation of V.I. Code.
Weve had too many situations where minors have been injured, whether its through accidents, fire or persons gaining access to the home, Hannah added.
Perpetrators Hide Evidence
The investigation into the armed robbery is ongoing, according to Hannah. If the police do locate some suspects, the victim would then be called in to identify those persons, he said.
Despite what happened to her son, the mother will not let the experience ruin her life on St. John, she said.
Questioned Childrens Safety
Initially, yes, I questioned whether this was a safe place for my kids, said the mother, who has lived on St. John with her family for approximately one year. But, I refuse to let a couple of bad seeds ruin it.
The robbery was one of many recently reported in the Estate Glucksberg neighborhood.