V.I.’s Dumbest Criminal Hits St. John Villa

The V.I. Police Department last week arrested St. Thomas resident Rudy Cook, 29, in connection with a grand larceny that occurred December 5 at one of Caribbean Villas and Resorts’ properties — a crime the guests would not have realized occurred had Cook not accidentally left his keys in the villa safe.

The suspect’s bail was set at $25,000 and he was remanded to custody. Cook appeared in Superior Court on Wednesday, January 9, for his advice of rights hearing.

Guests were staying at the Caribbean Villas property when Cook delivered a new refrigerator for Appliances Plus, explained Caribbean Villas St. John Manager Christine Barbich.

“The guests were out, and when they got back, they called me and said that when they opened the safe to put some things away, they found a set of keys in the safe that said ‘Whirlpool,’” said Barbich.

“They discovered some money was missing from an envelope and some from a wallet which were both in the safe, amounting to $250,” Barbich said. “Not all of the money was missing, and they probably wouldn’t have noticed it was gone if they hadn’t found the keys.”

Restitution, Arrest Made
A pair of sunglasses the guests had just purchased were also taken from a desk in the villa, bringing the total amount stolen to $400.
Barbich notified Appliances Plus, who did make restitution to the villa guests, and a police report was filed. Caribbean Villas was pleased with the VIPD’s response, explained Barbich.

“Detective [Kent] Hodge handled the case like it was something really important,” she said. “I thought the police handled it well, and the case ended with an arrest which we don’t see here that often.”

Caribbean Villas was also appreciative of the response by Appliances Plus, Barbich added.

“I think it was admirable of Appliances Plus to step up to the plate and reimburse our guests for their loss,” she said. “I thought that was very nice.”