Man Held After Roof Entry Nets Beverages, Snacks at Charlotte Amalie Bar

A St. Thomas man faces felony charges after security footage captured him entering a Charlotte Amalie bar through a roof opening and taking sodas and potato chips, court records show.

Guy G. Vicars, 48, was taken into custody on October 12 and charged with third-degree burglary, unlawful entry, and petit larceny in connection with the overnight break-in at Percy's Bus Stop on Kronprindsens Gade, according to court documents. He was held at the Bureau of Corrections on $25,000 bail pending his initial court appearance before Magistrate Judge Simone M. VanHolten-Turnbull.

The Virgin Islands Police Department began investigating on September 29 after receiving word of the weekend intrusion. Co-owner Jane E. Shiell-Taylor had locked the bar's perimeter gates and secured the main bar, freezers, and refrigerators around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, but left an under-counter cabinet holding non-alcoholic drinks and snacks closed but unsecured.

When Shiell-Taylor arrived early Monday to open, she found two chairs that had been repositioned: one outside the front security gate and another positioned directly beneath a roof opening. Investigators concluded the intruder had used them to climb over and enter the building.

Closed-circuit footage showed a man in a T-shirt, fatigue-patterned three-quarter pants, a baseball cap, and white sneakers moving through employee areas and filling a dark backpack. The bar's owners stated he was not an employee or authorized visitor.

The taken items totalled less than $100 and included multiple six-packs of Coca-Cola, orange soda, ginger ale, various Arizona juices, and bags of salted potato chips.

Detectives identified Vicars by comparing the security footage to known individuals and found him Monday morning at the former Mitchell Motel property at Estate Contant. Officers transported him to the Criminal Investigation Bureau at the Richard N. Callwood Command, informed him of his rights, and asked for a statement. Vicars refused to speak. He was processed, fingerprinted, and photographed by the Forensic Unit before being turned over to the Bureau of Corrections.