Four young Virgin Islanders charged with gun possession
Four young Virgin Islanders face serious criminal charges after driving in a vehicle with an illegal weapon.
The four arrested are Raekoi J. Evans, 21, of Hospital Ground; Evonte A. Rey, 18, of Paul M. Pearson Gardens housing community; Kevon V. Barclette, 20, of Paul M. Pearson Gardens housing community; and T’Keyjah G. Austrie, 20, of Oswald Harris Court housing community. According to a news release from V.I, they were each charged with constructive possession of an unlicensed firearm, constructive possession of ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Police Department spokesman Toby Derima.
Constructive possession means that the weapon was found in the group’s collective possession, and none of the four suspects claimed ownership of the gun.
The case began at 12:29 a.m. Monday, when the 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched officers to a robbery in progress on Veterans Drive in the vicinity of the Vendor’s Plaza, Derma said.
After coming to a stop at the traffic light, the victims reported that someone rear-ended their white 2018 Jeep Wrangler. When the victims exited their vehicle to inspect the damage, they were approached by an armed male dressed in black. The armed male and other suspects then fled the area in the victims’ vehicle, Derma said.
At 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, officers on routine patrol observed the stolen 2018 Jeep Wrangler with three male occupants at a gas station in Charlotte Amalie West, Derma said. The suspects then fled the area in an attempt to evade officers. The vehicle was later located in Mahogany Estate after police received a tip from a citizen regarding the vehicle’s location.
Officers searched the area and saw the three men leaving the area in a green sedan and conducted a traffic stop. Derma said the three men were in the sedan and Austria, who was acting as a getaway driver.
Inside the sedan, officers discovered a firearm with an extended magazine, Derma said.
Bail was set at $50,000 each. Unable to post bail, all four suspects were jailed until their advice-of-rights hearings in V.I. Superior Court.
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