St. Croix Beekeeper Keyronie Allembert. Photo Credit: ERNICE GILBERT, V.I. CONSORTIUM
A well-known St. Croix resident is speaking out about a traumatic encounter with police, describing what he says was a case of mistaken identity that led to his wrongful arrest and mistreatment.
Last week, Keyronie Allembert, a beekeeper, was preparing for work when, without warning, two police cars entered his property.
"All of a sudden, while packing my stuff in my truck, two police cars invaded and entered my property," Allembert told the Consortium.
According to him, the officers claimed to be searching for "the honey man."
[Watch: Keyronie Allembert Speaks Out After Wrongful Arrest]
"I’m kind of in shock, because I don’t know what’s going on," he said, explaining that he tried to convince the officers they had the wrong person. However, his attempts were dismissed.
"The police officers tell me… I need to stop being in denial," Allembert recounted.
Despite never being asked for his name, read his rights, or shown a warrant, Allembert said the officers focused instead on whether he possessed a licensed firearm.
"How could you know [if] I have a licensed firearm if you don’t know my first name, you don’t know my last name, and you just came to the residence saying that you’re looking for Honey Man?" he questioned.
Allembert described the officers' actions as a violation of his civil rights, accusing them of forcibly removing him from his property.
"They came onto my property and basically violated my civil rights and kidnapped me out of my own yard," he declared.
Forcible Arrest in Front of Family
The officers handcuffed Allembert and began moving him to the police vehicle, he said, while his wife and children remained inside the house, unaware of what was happening.
"They’re trying to kidnap me out of my yard without even giving me a chance to tell my family that they’re going with me," the beekeeper said.
He described one of the officers as particularly aggressive, noting that when his wife came outside pleading with police, the officer dismissed her concerns, reportedly telling her, "She needs to stop being in denial also."
After what Allembert described as being “roughed up” by officers, he was placed in the back of a police vehicle, still handcuffed.
"I’m still in handcuffs with no seat belt on. No seat belt at all; the police is speeding down the highway," he said, describing how the reckless driving caused the vehicle to shudder whenever the brakes were applied.
"They’re driving this reckless police car with no seat belt on!" he exclaimed.
Officers Realize Their Mistake
While en route to the police station, officers received a phone call that changed everything.
"A phone call came in to the officer that’s driving the police car… I overheard the conversation," Allembert said.
According to him, the call confirmed they had the wrong person. However, despite this revelation, the officer in the back seat refused to remove his handcuffs. Instead, they continued to the station, forcing Allembert to wait for a supervisor before being released.
"It took for me to reach by the police station for the officers to ask me my full name, and that’s when I gave them my full name," he recalled.
No Apology from VIPD
Allembert described the experience as humiliating and deeply distressing, particularly since his wife and children witnessed the entire ordeal.
"They came to my house, they kidnapped me out of my yard, roughed me up inside of my own yard. Humiliated me, violated my rights – all of a sudden, you got the wrong person," he said.
Despite the severe mistake and its emotional toll, Allembert said he has yet to receive an apology from VIPD. The Consortium also reached out to the VIPD, however an official response was not yet prepared, according to the department.
"All they’re giving me is just blah blah blah," he stated.
Now, he is considering legal action, urging law enforcement to conduct proper investigations before making an arrest.
"You don’t just come and do people them thing," he said, arguing that his life was endangered over a case of mistaken identity that could have been avoided by simply asking the right questions beforehand.
