July 17, 2001 – A Corrections Bureau officer charged with shooting another man faced a double whammy Monday. Prosecutors added attempted murder to the list of criminal charges against him, and Attorney General Iver Stridirion said that Delroy Huyghue, if convicted, could be incarcerated in accordance with the new "Project Exile" law-enforcement initiative.
Promising that Huyghue, 22, will be treated like any other criminal defendant, Stridiron recalled the incidents of July 9 at the defendant's initial court appearance.
Huyghue is accused of having shot the passenger in a car on Back Street after that vehicle and Huyghue's were involved in an accident, and of then forcing the driver to go with him to search for someone who could pay to have his car repaired.
Territorial Court Judge Ishmael Meyers found probable cause Monday to charge the rookie prison guard with attempted second-degree murder, kidnaping, assault with intent to kill, first-degree robbery, possession of an unlicensed firearm and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.
The victim of the shooting, Geraldo Jimenez, is expected to recover. The shooting came hours before the V.I. Justice Department and the federal government jointly launched Project Exile, an initiative aimed at deterring gun-related violence. If convicted, Huyghue could be sentenced to a term in an off-island, high-security prison.
Huyghue was placed on $200,000 bail.
