Police investigate Nov. 7 accident near the Gasaway Service Station on St. Croix. By. V.I. CONSORTIUM
ST. CROIX — A man appeared before a V.I. Superior Court judge on Wednesday to face DUI charges following an auto collision on the Queen Mary Highway.
According to documents before the court, Steveroy Thomas was arrested and charged with DUI and negligent driving during the nighttime of Nov. 7.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, police were on their way to the Ancilmo Marshall Command on Monday at 6:13 p.m., when they came upon an auto collision in the westbound lane on Queen Mary Highway, in the vicinity of Gasaway Service Station.
The 911 Emergency Call Center was notified of the incident and the subsequent investigation. While at the scene, contact was made with the driver of a red Jeep Cherokee who stated that he was traveling westbound on Queen Mary Highway when he began to slow down because he was preparing to make a right turn into the service station. After indicating his intention to turn left, the driver said he suddenly felt an impact to the rear of his vehicle, which pushed his Jeep into the eastbound lane.
Mugshot of Steveroy Thomas. (Credit: The V.I. Police Department)
Contact was made with the driver of a yellow Chevrolet Cavalier — whose vehicle was badly damaged from the impact — later identified as Steveroy Thomas. Police asked Thomas for his driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. Thomas responded by using expletives, then walked towards police, saying, “Let me watch you good. What is your name? My name is Forceful Mac.”
While speaking with Thomas, police smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and person. His eyes were red and glossy, and his speech was slurred and loud, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
Police requested the vehicle documents from Thomas for a second time and Thomas began to search for the documents. Thomas approached the officer again, telling him that his name was Forceful Mac. He was staggering as he walked around in the area where the collision took place.
The officer asked Thomas to cross the street with him into the parking area of the service station. While Thomas was crossing, the officer observed that Thomas was having a hard time keeping his balance. As he got closer to the police vehicle, Thomas leaned against the vehicle and uttered, “Officer I don’t want to dis you or tell you a bad word."
Thomas eventually said he was traveling westbound on Queen Mary Highway when the driver of the Jeep Cherokee exited the service station and collided with Thomas’s vehicle. Police asked Thomas if he had been drinking and he said that he had a shot of gin and two Coors Light beers. The officer informed Thomas that he was going to administer the three standardized field sobriety tests. Thomas could not perform the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, and when asked to perform the walk and turn and one leg stand test, Thomas refused.
Thomas was then placed under arrest.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Thomas would be allowed to post his driver’s license in lieu of bail. He is barred from leaving St. Croix without the court’s written permission and must surrender his passport if he has one. He must report to the Office of Probation every Tuesday and is to have no contact, directly or indirectly with the victim or any witnesses in the matter. His driving privileges have been suspended for 90 days.
