Crime

Backpack Left Behind at Sonya’s Leads Police to Machete Robbery Suspect

ST. CROIX — A man accused of terrorizing two employees during a machete robbery at Sonya’s Fine Island Jewelry left behind a critical piece of evidence that helped police identify him: his backpack, containing a photograph with the name Andrew Joseph written on the back. New details contained in the probable cause factsheet provide a fuller account of Thursday afternoon’s robbery on Company Street in Christiansted, including allegations that the assailant kicked his way into an office where two female employees had sought refuge, swung a rusty machete at them and threatened to chop them before escaping with approximately $20,000 in jewelry and other property. The Consortium first learned of the robbery and subsequent arrest Thursday. VIPD Director of Communications Glen Dratte later confirmed the incident and said the Special Operations Bureau response that resulted in the arrest was part of a 90-day agreement among law-enforcement agencies aimed at strengthening the territory’s resp...