Police seek repeat offender in St. Croix domestic violence case

The Virgin Islands Police Department has circulated a wanted bulletin for Vernon Sackey Jr., a 28-year-old with a criminal history, in connection with a domestic violence investigation centred on St. Croix. The suspect, who goes by the street name "Papi", faces charges of simple assault and battery characterized as domestic violence, according to police.

Sackey is identified as a Black male standing roughly 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 115 pounds, with black hair in short twists and brown eyes. Police say he frequents the Christiansted area, especially near the public cemetery.

The bulletin emerged approximately three months after a major development in Sackey's case. On July 24, 2026, Superior Court Judge Ernest E. Morris Jr. dismissed with prejudice a six-count felony case against him. The charges had included first-degree burglary, third-degree assault with a deadly weapon, unauthorized firearm possession, and willful violation of a domestic violence protective order.

In the dismissed case, prosecutors had claimed that on May 22, 2025, Sackey violated an active restraining order in Bethlehem Village by inserting an armed hand through an ex-girlfriend's bedroom window and pointing an unlicensed handgun at a man inside. Sackey remained at large for more than seven months before being arrested in early January 2026.

At a final pretrial hearing, prosecutors from the Virgin Islands Department of Justice stated they could not meet their burden of proof and sought to drop the case. Although they requested dismissal without prejudice, which would have allowed them to refile charges later, the public defender objected on grounds of Sackey's prolonged pretrial detention. Judge Morris sided with the defence and dismissed all six counts with prejudice, clearing bail and cancelling release conditions.

Police have cautioned the public against confronting Sackey. Anyone with information about his location should contact emergency services at 911, reach Police Officer Adisha Rogers at the Ancilmo Marshall Command desk at (340) 773-2530, or call Crime Stoppers USVI anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).