A former V.I. Police Department officer has been arrested and charged with grand larceny and appropriating lost property after her body-worn camera allegedly recorded her with a $17,000 gold chain on two separate occasions before the jewelry disappeared.
Aisha Somersall was taken into custody Wednesday following an incident on September 28, 2024, outside Jungle Night Club in Frenchtown. The confrontation involved Lavelle Campbell II, who told investigators that Ms. Somersall ordered him to leave the area, then followed him to his rental Jeep Wrangler.
According to the arrest-warrant affidavit, Mr. Campbell said the officer opened his driver's door, ordered him to stop and struck him in the face with a flashlight as he drove away. During this encounter, he reported feeling the officer pull at his gold chain before it was ripped from his neck.
The missing chain was a 14-karat King's link weighing roughly 300 grams and valued at approximately $17,000. Mr. Campbell also lost a customized pendant depicting an anchor with a Libra scale, valued at about $15,000. A jeweler from Valentine's Jewel Box confirmed he had sold both pieces to Mr. Campbell for more than $30,000 combined.
The pendant was later discovered on the ground near a marked police vehicle by a tow truck operator and eventually returned to Mr. Campbell through the towing company. The chain has never been found.
According to Detective Herbert's account in the affidavit, Ms. Somersall's body camera footage showed her in the Altona and Welgunst area near the cemetery holding the chain. She placed it on Mr. Campbell's white Jeep Wrangler and walked away. When she returned to place her flashlight and radio on the vehicle's hood, the footage again showed her with the chain in hand before she departed. The affidavit does not indicate what became of the chain afterward.
During Wednesday's hearing, Magistrate Judge Simone VanHolten-Turnbull determined there was probable cause on both charges and released Ms. Somersall on a $10,000 unsecured bond. The court ordered her to relocate to Fort Lewis in Washington state, where she works in military employment, and to contact the probation office by telephone each week. She cannot consume alcohol or controlled substances and must give her personal firearm to the military installation by October 21.
Ms. Somersall had previously received the Highest Academic Award among auxiliary police officers in September 2021 and was named Officer of the Month in July 2024. She is scheduled for arraignment on October 30.
Mr. Campbell filed a civil lawsuit in May 2026 against the VIPD, the Virgin Islands government and Ms. Somersall over the missing jewelry.
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