A daylight home-invasion robbery and an armed robbery of tourists at Concordia has gotten the attention of St. John administrator Julien Harley. "We musty have a sense of urgency" about getting a police presence on the east end of the island, he told the Virgin Islands Daily News. He said the assaults threaten the way of life on St. John, "and we can't have that." Senator At Large Almando Liburd said he will lend his effort to helping the police commissioner receive $250,000 already appropriated by the Senate for a police facility in Coral Bay. "It's definitely needed," he said.
Police said they arrested three suspects in the Coral Bay incidents. Three Jamaican nationals, reported to be living in Coral Bay, were interviewed by local authorities and turned over to the US Immigration Department. "Information from citizens in the area led to those individuals being picked up," said police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Hannah, the Daily News reported. At least one of the men arrested has a criminal record and had been deported from the US for illegal entry. Hannah said St. John Deputy Police Chief Angelo Hill himself investigated the case. "Remember, Hill also lives on St. John and he cares about his home," the department spokesman said.