ST. THOMAS — A man with a long history of arrests is once again facing felony charges, this time for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to court documents, early last Thursday morning, around 1:35 a.m., police took note of a man running away from a patrol unit on Strand Street, towards Curacao Gade. Officers went to the R2R Lounge in search of the man, and made contact with Ruben George, who they observed had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.

The officers spoke to George about a vehicle registered in his name that was spotted fleeing the scene of an assault earlier in the night. The white Jeep Liberty had also been reportedly involved in a hit and run auto collision that same evening. George told police that the jeep had been in the possession of his mechanic since Wednesday, June 5. He said he handed the vehicle over to have some repairs done to the brakes, and pointed officers to a black Toyota Corolla which he said he had rented from the mechanic while his Jeep was being serviced. George said he was actually at R2R Lounge waiting for the mechanic to return his vehicle.

According to court documents, while George was waiting for detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau to arrive to further discuss the reports mentioned above, officers peered into the rental, shining their flashlights into the vehicle. They reportedly spotted the butt of a black firearm wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console. When asked if he had a license to carry a firearm in the territory, George responded in the negative. He told officers that the gun was not his, but instead belonged to his cousin, who had given it to him to store in the vehicle while he was in the lounge. George admitted to officers that he was on probation until later this month.‌

Despite his denials, officers seized the Springfield S&W .380 shield weapon and arrested George for the illegal possession of a firearm. Due to the loaded magazine attached to the weapon, he was also charged with possession of ammunition and remanded into custody to await his first court appearance.

On June 7, Magistrate Paula Norkaitis found probably cause to uphold both charges against George. She set bail at $25,000 the suspect to post 10 percent of that sum to secure his release ahead of trial.

Once released, George is ordered to maintain a daily curfew of midnight to 7:00 a.m. He will be restricted to the St. Thomas/St. John/Water Island jurisdiction, and required to report to the probation office twice a week by telephone. He is banned from possessing firearms and is required to maintain his current employment.‌

His next court appearance is scheduled for June 21.

Since 2009, George has been arrested at least six times, not including this most recent matter. He has pleaded guilty to crimes including third-degree assault, and the use of a dangerous weapon with intent to use. Several other serious charges against him, including home invasion and robbery were dismissed, while a 2009 charge of first-degree murder resulted in acquittal.