Franklin Benjamin Jr., also known as “Ubba,” was arrested Thursday and charged with the theft of two 60-kilowatt generators, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department.
The stolen generators were spotted by two Fusion Center employees atop flatbed trailers which were used to transport bands in Thursday’s J’ouvert.
The employees verified that one of the generators was among 38 Gensets generators that had been donated to the territory by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and subsequently reported stolen from the government agency where it had been installed. The second generator had been reported stolen by the owner of a gas station in Smith Bay.
Once the employees positively identified the generators through paperwork and other identifying marks, they notified police. Thursday’s investigation revealed that one of the generators was reported stolen on June 23, 2010, from the Sugar Estate location of the Internal Revenue Bureau, while the second was stolen from the Domino Service Station in Smith Bay. At the time the generators were located Thursday they were on flatbed trailers which were parked in a lot near Mandela Circle.
While police conducted their investigation at the scene, Benjamin approached and told officers the equipment on the flatbeds, including the generators, belonged to him and he was arrested.
Benjamin, a 44-year-old resident of Estate Nazareth, was charged with grand larceny and buying or receiving stolen property. He was held on a $60,000 bail and remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending an advise of rights hearing.
