Mugshot of Louvina Pringle. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — FBI and VIPD investigators on Tuesday arrested a woman said to be involved in the kidnapping of man, a relative, police spokesman Toby Derima told the Consortium today.
Mr. Derima said officers arrested Louvina Pringle, 42, who resides at the Oswald Harris Court housing community at approximately 4:30 p.m., and charged her with conspiracy, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and aiding and abetting.
A day earlier, police arrested Pringle's boyfriend, Troy A. Harrigan, age 51 of Estate Tutu and charged him with false imprisonment and kidnapping. The kidnapping incident is said to have occurred on September 14, according to Mr. Derima.
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According to the police fact sheet, Pringle told her relative, the victim, on Monday afternoon to meet her boyfriend at Home Depot to help with generators. Once the victim arrived, the boyfriend, Harrigan, told the victim that the generators were elsewhere at a construction site in Winteberg.
Once at the site, the victim said he was approached by two men who said they were "Crucian hitmen", and that at least one of the two had a handgun with a silencer on it. The hitmen and Harrigan, along with Pringle were in pursuit of some $800,000 they believed the victim stole.
On the phone while the assault was occurring was the victim's relative, Pringle, who participated in the assault. The victim said a gun was forced into his mouth, according to the fact sheet. He also said he was beaten with a hammer to the head, and that Harrigan took a knife and slashed him in several areas, including his stomach area, legs, fingertips and arms.
The assault continued until about 3:30 p.m Monday at which point Harrigan told the victim he would be taken to a boat where five men would then cut him to bits. During the vicious and bloody assault, the victim said he provided a number of false locations to Harrigan as he was afraid that he would be killed.
The victim saw and seized a small window of opportunity to escape when Harrigan left him in a vehicle by himself while Harrigan smoked marijuana. The victim said he hustled into the driver's side and hit gas, but Harrigan was able to get back into the vehicle, at which point the victim threw himself out of the moving vehicle and onto Skyline Drive. At that point, police officer Lt. Claudius Hippolyte was on patrol and was stopped by the victim.
Harrigan attempted to escape but was captured soon after. He admitted to kidnapping the victim as he believed the victim stole $800,000.
Police say the investigation into this incident is ongoing, and are urging anyone with information in this case to call 911, the Criminal Investigation Bureau at (340) 774-2211 extension 5608, or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1 (800) 222-TIPS.
"If you saw, heard or know something, please say something," said the VIPD.
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