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by pltm
(PLTM) - Shaqil Roberts, 22, of St. Thomas, was formally arrested and charged over the weekend in relation to the robbery of a local contractor at Gene Hill on June 3rd 2016. Prior to his arrest, officers of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force had already arrested and charged a second assailant in the matter, Shamori Richardson, 28, also of St. Thomas. Richardson made an appearance at the Magistrate’s Court to respond to his charge of robbery on August 30th 2016. According to Crown Counsel O’Neil Simpson, Richardson and another assailant, now known as Roberts, robbed the contractor at gunpoint. According to the details of the matter, while the contractor was sitting in his vehicle on Gene Hill, he was approached by the two assailants, who then demanded money while pointing a gun at him. The victim then began to search his pockets, took out his wallet and handed over the $9 it contained. The court heard that the assailants demanded money the contractor intended to pay his workers with, then began searching the vehicle themselves, resulting in the victim handing over an additional $500. It was noted that the assailant wielding the gun opened and searched the front right side of the vehicle, while the other opened and searched the rear of the vehicle. Nothing additional was found during their search and they proceeded to leave the scene. Police were summoned to scene, where they collected a report from the victim as well as fingerprints and other samples from the crime scene. The court heard that on the 7th July 2016, Richardson was arrested based on police suspicion. He was interviewed and informed of the matter. At this point, the accused informed officers he had no knowledge of the incident. His fingerprints that were subsequently taken with his consent, reportedly matched those taken from the scene of the crime.
Richardson was remanded and is set to appear in court again on October 6, while Roberts is scheduled to appear in court today.
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