While police are dealing with a recent spate of shooting incidents on St. John, three swords were stolen from the Estate Adrien home in a late April burglary.
The burglar didnt take obvious items like high-end music and fishing equipment, a computer, television, DVD player and other valuables which were in clear view, according to the long-time resident.
The burglary occurred between 12 noon and 5 p.m., said the man, who asked to remain anonymous. I was having a bad day, so I left work early and went to the beach to chill out, and I came home to find out that I got robbed.
The thing is that they only took these swords and an old stereo unit, he added.
Valuable Items Untouched
Walking in there it would be a burglars heaven, he said. There were so many things in there and they werent touched. The only items missing from the home were an old stereo and three swords which were recently given to him as presents, the burglary victim added.
When I walked into the house, I noticed that my bedroom light was on, which I didnt leave on, he said. I walked in there and I noticed that my samurai sword was missing. It was tucked in a corner and someone had to have looked for it.
The samurai sword was a hand-made Japanese sword which was a meaningful gift, the resident explained.
A friend gave it to me just 10 days before my home got broken into, he said. My friend is a martial arts expert and he defeated a very respected Japanese man in a competition. The mans family presented the sword to him.
After being friends with this man for seven years, he presented the sword to me because he thought that I was a worthy person to have it, he said. It was a great honor.
The samurai sword, with a perfectly balanced 33-inch blade, weighs about five pounds, the resident continued.
Dangerous Weapon
Even though it was about five pounds, it felt like holding air because of how well balanced it was, he said. If you swung it at someone, you could take their head off without a problem. It would definitely do damage to whoever you used it on.
The samurai sword was not the only blade missing from the Estate Adrien home.
I had two more swords stolen also, he said. One was a replica of the coronation sword for King Richard the Lion Hearted. It was four-feet, five-inches long with a blue jewel on the top of the handle surrounded by lion heads.
It was beautiful, just very beautiful, the resident added.
Replica, Calvary Swords Gone Too
The replica was a showpiece which weighed in at about 40 pounds. The third sword stolen was a three-foot-long Italian calvary sword, which is similar to a basic calvary sword except with a bit more flare, the resident explained.
These other two swords were in the living room on display, he said. All of the swords can be used as weapons. As I came out of my bedroom, I noticed they were gone and I looked around and saw my home stereo was missing also.
The theft of only the weapons and the stereo was a shock to the resident.
If I came home and everything was ransacked, it would be more understandable, he said. This was so cleanI dont get it. I feel like someone had to know that they were there.
Monetary Value Not Important
The cash value of the swords is the least of the residents worries.
I can deal with the cash valuethings can be replaced, he said. The significance of my friend presenting these to me is more important. It was an honor.
That is the worst thing, the resident continued. I feel like I had my friendship stolen as much as having the swords stolen. They were very personal.
The V.I. Police Department responded quickly but were honest about the difficulty of recovering the items, he added.
The police response was pretty good, but they told me not to get my hopes up because they rarely recover stolen items, he said.
The resident is offering a $500 cash reward for the return of the three swords. Anyone with information should call 643-4667 and leave a message.
