Crime

18-Year-Old High School Student Arrested After Allegedly Stealing Vehicle, Leading Police on High-Speed Chase

ST. CROIX — Criminal charges have been filed against an 18-year-old man accused of stealing a vehicle.  Ryan Branch is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of stolen property and grand larceny, all categorized as aiding and abetting.  The charges stem from an incident on Saturday afternoon where an individual reported that he had parked his truck at Cane Bay Beach to pick up his son and returned to find the vehicle missing. According to the driver, his personal belongings including his cellphone were all in the vehicle at the time. He was able to track his cellphone to a location in the vicinity of Frederiksted Beach and provided that information to police.  Officers then sent out a radio transmission with the vehicle description and license plate number which was received by an officer on mobile patrol near Frederiksted Town. According to the probable cause fact sheet, that officer spotted the vehicle parked across from the St. Croix Country Club Beach while he wa...