Device Resembling A Pipe Bomb Found On Main Road Near Sunny Isle Annex; FBI, ATF, National Guard Head To Scene (Update)

Update: Police Commissioner Delroy Richards told The Consortium that the pipe bomb-looking device was determined to be a dud by ATF technicians who traveled to the territory to investigate it. “Technicians received the device, inspected it and determined it was a dud, a fake,” Mr. Richards said.  “We are conducting an investigation; we know where all of this came from based on information we have.”

According to the commissioner, the device was made at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) facility behind the Sunny Isle Annex, was stuck underneath a vehicle, and wound up in the middle of the road near Joe’s Bar & Grill in Sunny Isle.

Cherilyn Derusha, youth director at YWAM, confirmed to this publication that the device indeed came from the camp, and was made by camp staff as part of a game that is often played at the facility called “Behind Enemy Lines”, which is essentially Capture the Flag.

Ms. Derusha apologized for the confusion in an official statement to be issued this afternoon.

Mr. Richards said the device, which disrupted traffic and forced employees of various establishments in the area out of their work spaces, appeared authentic. “Looking at the device, it seems very authentic and we don’t take chances,” the police commissioner said. “Naturally we notified the federal folks here, which is the ATF, and they reached out to the technicians abroad and they came it, retrieved it and it was proven to be a dud.”

Original Story: ST. CROIX — Virgin Islands Police Department officers have cordoned off a large portion of the Sunny area near Caribbean Cinemas, WAPA, Kmart Appliances and the hospital road, after a device resembling a pipe bomb was found in the middle of the road near Joe’s Bar & Grill.

The device was spotted by St. Croix resident Richard Dorsey, who immediately called police. Mr. Dorsey said he was driving heading east when he saw a device in the middle of the road that bore the likeness of an explosive.

“While driving I saw what looked like a bomb on the road. After turning around and confirming it, I called 911. It looked like all the devices you would see on the news, in video games and TV; it was very unsettling,” Mr. Dorsey said. Mr. Dorsey banded with other members of the community to divert traffic from the device until V.I.P.D. officers could arrive to the scene.

“I’m thankful to God no one has been hurt and V.I.P.D. is handling the situation,” he said.

Mr. Dorsey also explained what he saw: “There were two to three metallic quarter inch pipes with metal caps on them, with red or orange electrical wiring coming out of the caps. It’s wrapped in electrical tape with a black base at the bottom, with the wires coming from it,” he said.

Police Commissioner Delroy Richards said the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Explosive Detail Unit, along with Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (A.T.F.) and National Guard personnel were headed to the scene to investigate the device.

“We’ve got to be really careful, we don’t no what we’re dealing with,” Mr. Richards told The Consortium. “The device is wired similar to a pipe bomb, so we’ve summoned  the National Guard, FBI and ATF — they should be on the ground at any moment.”

The commissioner is asking the community to be patient as experts work to determine if the device is real so it could be disarmed, or whether it’s a dud before an all clear can be given. “We’re trying to protect life and property, so please be patient with us,” he said.