From left to right, Ra'Jahni Hendrickson and Stephan Joseph. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. THOMAS — Newly available probable cause details provide a fuller account of how police connected two vehicle thefts reported during the same period to Ra’Jahni Hendrickson, Stephan Joseph, two minors and a black Acura SUV, expanding on an earlier report that Hendrickson had been arrested in connection with the cases.
The allegations involve the theft of a white Chevrolet truck from behind the former Kmart building and a Suzuki dirt bike taken from the Havensight area. Police say both incidents occurred around June 14 and led to charges against Hendrickson and Joseph.
Police were first alerted to one of the incidents on the afternoon of June 14, when a man reported that he had parked his white Chevrolet truck the day before at the rear of the former Kmart building, as he usually does. By the afternoon of June 14, the vehicle was gone.
Information provided to police indicated that the truck had been seen near the entrance of Tutu Park Mall while being towed. Officers later found the vehicle at the wrecker company’s place of business.
The owner of the wrecker told police that he had responded to a call for a vehicle blocking the entrance to a business located some distance away from where the white truck had originally been parked.
Surveillance footage obtained by police showed three men wearing hoodies parking and exiting the truck. Officers also noted that a scooter was in the rear of the truck.
After the vehicle was returned to its owner, police learned that the truck had been damaged while in the possession of the three men. The owner told investigators that the scooter did not belong to him and had not been in the truck when he parked it on the afternoon of June 13.
A VIPD detective identified one of the three individuals as Hendrickson. Police say the other two individuals were minors known to law enforcement, but they were not identified because of their age.
Hendrickson later appeared at the Juvenile Bureau on June 30 and told police that the two minors, one of whom he said was his cousin, were the people who stole the truck and the scooter. He denied involvement in the theft, but told police that another man, Stephan Joseph, had driven his vehicle, described by police as an Acura, behind the stolen truck and picked up the two minors after they parked it.
At the same time, police were investigating the theft of a motorcycle reported the day after the white Chevrolet truck was taken. The Suzuki dirt bike had been parked near Stir It Up Coffee Shop in Havensight. The owner told police he noticed the bike was missing on the morning of June 14.
Inquiries led the owner to Giant Gas Station, where the bike had reportedly been seen. Video footage showed three men attempting to start the motorcycle. A black Acura SUV was nearby, and the owner suspected it was connected to the theft.
Police obtained surveillance footage from WICO that showed the black SUV entering the Havensight Mall property and passing near the Port of Sale building, where Stir It Up is located. A man could be seen exiting the vehicle and walking toward the coffee shop.
After dropping off its passenger, the Acura left the area. Surveillance footage then captured the man taking the bike from the vicinity. The Acura and the person who took the bike later met at Yacht Haven Grande, where two people were seen on camera pushing the motorcycle away. One of them was identified as Mr. Hendrickson.
The stolen Suzuki dirt bike — not the scooter later found in the stolen truck — was pushed toward Giant Gas Station, where the Acura SUV met up with the two people who had taken the bike.
A check of the SUV’s license plates led police to the vehicle’s owner. When officers visited her on June 30, she told them that her friend, Joseph, had been driving it exclusively for several months.
Joseph was also questioned by police on June 30. He told investigators that on the day the dirt bike was stolen, a minor had asked him for a ride to Havensight to retrieve a bike. Joseph said he agreed, but told police he suspected the boys were planning something criminal because of how they were dressed.
After dropping the boys off at Havensight, Joseph said he went to Yacht Haven Grande to see a friend. He told police the boys later met him there while pushing a bike. He said he refused to help them get it started, and the two minors pushed the bike toward the gas station.
Joseph claimed he went to the gas station to tell the boys he was leaving the area. He also told police that he later called one of them and advised that the bike be returned because people were looking for him.
Hendrickson and Joseph were both arrested and charged in connection with the two vehicle thefts. Both men were charged with two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They were also charged with grand larceny and misprision of a felony.
Hendrickson was additionally charged with two counts of possession of stolen property, while Mr. Joseph was charged with one count of possession of stolen property.
Hendrickson was remanded into custody on July 3, while Joseph was arrested the following day. Both men were unable to post bail and spent the weekend in custody while awaiting advice of rights hearings scheduled for Monday before Magistrate Simone VanHolten-Turnbull.
In court on Monday, the judge continued one of Joseph’s hearings until Tuesday. While the other hearings were reportedly held, as of press time no public information was available on the outcomes. Joseph is scheduled to have an arraignment hearing in at least one matter on July 24.
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