Kendall Petersen pleaded guilty Monday to one misdemeanor charge of possession of 950 grams of marijuana, signaling the beginning of the end to his case that began last summer.
Appearing before Judge George Cannon, Petersen seemed eager to resolve the case as he pleaded guilty to the single charge. Under the terms of the plea agreement, two other charges will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.
"I want to get back to my normal life," Petersen said after the hearing, as he left the courthouse. "To my normal life, to my culture."
Facing Cannon, Petersen acknowledged that the one possession charge was true, and he said he was entering the guilty plea of his own free will.
Cannon accepted the plea and reminded Petersen that in pleading guilty, he was waiving his right to a jury trial and to appeal. But, because the charge to which he was pleading was a misdemeanor, not a felony, he was not forfeiting his rights as a citizen — including the right to seek and hold public office and to keep and bear arms.
A pre-sentencing report will be prepared with a recommendation for sentencing. The charge carries a possible sentence of as long as one year and a fine of as much as $1,000.
Looking at his court calendar, Cannon ordered that the sentencing hearing be scheduled for no later than Oct. 8. Hearing that, Petersen asked, "Can it be sooner?"
Petersen’s home was raided Aug. 27 by a joint federal/local task force led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Also participating in the raid were the FBI, the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshal’s Office and the V.I. Police Department.
Acting U.S. Attorney Paul A. Murphy was at the courthouse for the hearing. He called Monday’s hearing "a fair resolution of the case."
Petersen was a delegate to the Fifth Constitutional Convention, a candidate for a seat in the V.I. Senate, and an advocate for agriculture and Caribbean heritage. After last summer’s raid, he said the case was part of a vendetta against him by St. Croix police.
