Man arrested after losing phone at robbery scene, then reporting himself as victim

A St. Thomas man was arrested Thursday after walking into a police station to report himself as a robbery victim, only to have detectives link him to the actual crime through his own discarded cellphone.

Karriem Stubbs, 43, faces charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, grand larceny, and multiple weapons offenses in connection with a Wednesday night attack on Palm Strade in Charlotte Amalie, according to court documents filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

The incident unfolded just after 10:27 p.m. on September 30 when police responded to reports of an armed robbery. Stephen E. Harris told detectives that a short, stocky man had confronted him with what appeared to be a black handgun, striking him in the head with the weapon while attempting to steal his gold neck chain. Harris resisted, tackled the gunman, and slammed him onto the pavement. The attacker then fled.

Forensic officers found a broken section of Harris's chain and an iPhone lying on the street where the struggle took place. The phone's lock screen showed a photograph of Karriem Stubbs.

While investigators were still at the scene, a man entered the Richard N. Callwood Command police station claiming he had been mugged at gunpoint in Catherineberg. It was Stubbs.

During questioning by Detective Brian Bedminster, Stubbs claimed two unknown males had grabbed him in Catherineberg but that he had overpowered them, dropped his phone, and escaped through backyards and steep hillside steps toward Hospital Ground. Detectives found his account implausible: he showed no signs of physical strain, had no scratches or scrapes from running through brush, and his narrative changed multiple times.

When taken on a patrol ride-along to point out his alleged escape route, Stubbs could not identify the crime scene or locate the friend he said he had visited. When he returned Thursday afternoon to retrieve his phone, detectives took him out again. This time he pointed to Villa Santana as the robbery location, claiming he had fled past Bunker Hill Hotel and Lionel Roberts Stadium.

Detectives noted injuries on Stubbs consistent with being thrown onto asphalt. Combined with his contradictory statements and the recovery of his own phone from the Palm Strade scene, they placed him under arrest. He was transferred to the Bureau of Corrections at the Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex.