Two men on St Croix were arrested Saturday in separate incidents and charged with violating the U.S. Virgin Islands’ firearm laws.
Toby Derima II
At 1:32 a.m. Saturday, police arrested 29-year-old Toby Derima II, age 29 of Castle Coakley, and charged him with carrying of a firearm, openly or concealed.
According to the police report, officers conducted a search of a vehicle driven by Derima in the Castle Coakley area. During the search, a firearm was discovered. A check of the VIPD’s Firearms Bureau records confirmed that Derima does not possess a license to carry a firearm in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Consequently, Derima was placed under arrest and was subsequently released pending his advice of rights hearing.
Jahseem A. Smith
At about 7:16 p.m. Saturday, officers of Phase 2 of the Virgin Islands Crime Initiative arrested 26-year-old Jahseem A. Smith of Louis E. Brown Villas, charging him with unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession or sale of ammunition, and possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.
VICI officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Queen Mary Highway in the vicinity of the Castle Burke residential community. During the traffic stop, officers discovered a loaded firearm.
Smith does not have a license to carry a firearm in the U.S. Virgin Islands, police said, and was arrested. Unable to post bail in the amount of $50,000, Smith was turned over to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing.
The Virgin Islands Crime Initiative is a data-driven effort by the V.I. Police Department to identify places and times crime is likely to occur and people likely to be suspects and allocate resources to those times and place.
