ST. THOMAS — A St. Thomas man is facing several felony charges after being caught mid-robbery by the homeowner, according to the V.I. Police Department.

The incident unfolded on April 9, when an investigating officer met Eric Halliday at the Schneider Regional Medical Center, according to court documents. There, Halliday was reportedly overheard admitting that he had taken items from the yard of a residence without permission.

Later, on April 15, the homeowner visited the police station to provide an official statement. He told officers that around midday on April 9, while at his residence on Prindsens Gade, he heard noises coming from the rear of his property. Arming himself with an axe for protection, the resident said he went to investigate the disturbance.

As he exited his house, the man noticed that his tool chest on the porch was open. A battery he had purchased for $185 was missing, along with a 99-cent wooden clamp. Upon reaching the back porch, he encountered a stranger — later identified as Halliday — clutching the missing items.

The homeowner reported that he greeted the individual and asked what he was doing in the yard. After the resident informed Halliday that the items belonged to him, Halliday allegedly threw the items down and attempted to jump over a steel porch fence to escape, injuring himself in the process. A struggle ensued, during which the homeowner managed to restrain Halliday by holding him down with a foot on his chest.

The resident said he then asked a neighbor to call the police. When officers arrived, the man put away his axe, making it clear to law enforcement that he had never swung or used the weapon at any point during the encounter.

During a search of Halliday, police reportedly found a bag of jewelry in his front pocket. The homeowner told police that the gold jewelry did not belong to him.

A neighbor also provided a statement, telling police that he encountered the scene after the resident had already restrained Halliday. After a brief discussion, the neighbor said he advised the homeowner to summon the authorities.

Authorities located Halliday again on Wednesday of this week, spotting him in the Garden Street area while following up on an unrelated matter. After confirming his identity, officers arrested him and transported him to the Richard Callwood Command police station. During questioning, Halliday reportedly admitted to entering the Prindsens Gade property and removing tools from the chest.

As a result, he was charged with third-degree burglary, unlawful entry, trespassing, petit larceny, and disturbance of the peace. Unable to post the $50,000 bail initially set by the court, he was remanded into custody pending his advice of rights hearing.

According to court documents, Halliday appeared before Magistrate Simone VanHolten-Turnbull for his initial hearing on Thursday. However, the outcome of the hearing, including any possible changes to bail or pre-trial release conditions, was not available to the public at press time.