ST. THOMAS — A man on probation for federal offenses was arrested when police reportedly found cocaine, marijuana, and drug distribution supplies in his possession.

According to court documents, last Saturday afternoon, police were conducting traffic enforcement operations near the National Park Dock entrance in Red Hook. An SUV driven by Jabari Hodge came to their attention because it had no front license plate and no registration sticker visible.

When officers pulled it over, the plate on the back of the vehicle was found in the system to be approximately two years out of date in terms of registration and insurance. Police approached the driver to discuss the situation and noticed what appeared to be a “medium size” bag of marijuana in the vehicle's center console. That prompted an order to exit the vehicle, followed by a search.

Inside a satchel that Hodge was carrying, police said they found a “medium size” zippered bag containing over nine grams of a white powder which returned positive results when field-tested for cocaine. Three other medium zippered bags contained green plant material identified by field testing as marijuana, officers reported. They also found a digital scale and other, smaller zippered bags.

Hodge was then arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, as well as with possession of drug paraphernalia. The vehicle, lacking valid insurance and up-to-date registration, was ticketed and towed.

While he was being processed, officers discovered that Hodge was on probation for a federal firearm charge. That 2019 charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, resulted in a sentence of 71 months imprisonment followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Police say they notified the “necessary parties” of Hodge's apparent probation violation before taking him into custody.

Court records indicate that his advice of rights hearing before Magistrate Paula Norkaitis was held on Monday morning, however no information on the outcome of that hearing has been published as of press time.

The next court hearing for Hodge has been scheduled for September 26.