After a two-day trial in District Court on St. Thomas, a federal jury Tuesday found Jace Clendinen, 31, guilty of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe said.
According to the evidence presented at trial, officers of the V.I. Police Department were in the area of the Smith Bay ballpark during Labor Day J’Ouvert activities on Sept. 1 when they saw an ammunition magazine fall from a flatbed truck carrying one of the bands.
Officers ordered everyone off of the truck to determine who had a firearm. Clendinen jumped from the truck and rapidly walked away from the officers.
Officers pursued Clendinen and discovered a Fabrique Nationale firearm with an obliterated serial number in Clendinen’s pant leg, jurors were told.
Clendinen’s sentencing is scheduled for May 25. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Sharpe commended the V.I. Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everard E. Potter and Segrid T. Sprotte.
