Mugshot of Alan Beyer. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. JOHN — One man is facing felony charges after police say he appeared in surveillance video recorded during burglaries in November and December.
According to court documents, VIPD officers at the Leader Jurgen Command police station in Cruz Bay, St. John were first alerted to a burglary at the Donald Schnell Studio on November 18, 2023. The business manager for the studio said that after opening up that morning, he noticed that a bathroom window had been broken and the bathroom ransacked. The front door, he told police, had also been damaged.
Upon review of the surveillance footage captured the night before, the business manager said he saw someone entering the establishment and exiting through a window about 40 minutes later. An inspection of the studio revealed that two speakers, a drill and a battery pack were missing. Police also reviewed the footage and saw the suspect in question outside the business trying to gain entry through several doors, before finding a way inside and rummaging through desks, picking up items as he went. An officer identified the man as Alan Beyer, and after confirming his identity a wanted poster was issued for his arrest.
On Christmas Eve, while investigating a report of destruction of property, police were told of another burglary at a different business place. According to the owner, this incident occurred on December 22, resulting in an iPhone and $200 in cash being taken. Surveillance footage from this burglary was received by police, showing a man entering the business via a space in the ceiling. The man reportedly tampered with the cash register until the drawer opened, and then removed cash from inside. He was also seen removing drinks from the cooler near the front doors before leaving the establishment. An officer recognized him as the same suspect from the November 17 burglary - Alan Beyer.
It wasn't until January 2 that police received information on where Beyer was staying. They tracked him down to a residence on Contant and Enighed and ultimately found him hiding in a closet. After some struggle, Beyer was arrested and taken to the Leander Jurgen Command where he was charged with two counts of third-degree burglary, two counts of grand larceny, destruction of property and interfering with an officer discharging his duty.
Unable to pay bail in the sum of $40,000 per incident as initially assessed, Beyer was remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing.
He appeared before Magistrate Paula Norkaitis on Friday, however details of his pre-trial release conditions have not been made available as of press time. The next court appearance for Beyer is scheduled for January 19.
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