Crime

More Than $441,000 in Phones and Equipment Stolen From One Communications Warehouse; Man Charged

ST. THOMAS — More than $441,000 worth of cellphones, generators, batteries and other equipment was stolen from a One Communications warehouse on St. Thomas during an August burglary in which a masked intruder bypassed security measures, gained access to a company vehicle and used it to remove hundreds of devices from the facility, according to police. The August 17 break-in resulted in reported losses totaling $441,937.34, making it a substantial theft of telecommunications equipment. Nearly three months later, investigators have connected a small portion of the missing inventory to a St. Thomas man who allegedly arranged for 10 stolen iPhones to be transported to Miami. According to employee accounts provided to investigators, the intruder entered the warehouse with his face concealed, defeated security measures and obtained access to a vehicle and its keys. He then drove to the inventory storage area, where he reportedly loaded hundreds of cellphones into the vehicle before removin...