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Mugshots of suspects recently arrested on unauthorized gun possession charges. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — Four males were charged on St. Croix with illegal possession of firearms while officers were on mobile patrol. Two of the suspects were in the same vehicle.
Estephon Hughes, Alfredo Carmona, Fade Asad and Darnley N. Petersen appeared before Magistrate Judge Ernest E. Morris, Jr. via teleconference from the Bureau of Corrections on Monday for their advisement hearing. Asad and Petersen were in the same vehicle, so their cases were heard together.
Estephon Hughes was charged with carrying a firearm openly or concealed and possession or sale of ammunition.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, officers received an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen on Thursday, August 26 at about 11:15 p.m. while on mobile patrol in Christiansted town. They were made aware of three suspicious males wearing hoodies walking back and forth in the Church Street vicinity. Upon identifying three males matching the description, officers observed what appeared to be a gun in the possession of the driver. It was a pellet gun. A search of the remaining males commenced. Hughes was found with a firearm—a Rossi revolver 38 special containing 4 rounds in the cylinder— located on his front waist band. When asked if he was authorized to carry or possess a firearm in the territory, Hughes said, “No.”
Hughes’ bail was set at $50,000 upon arrest. Having no prior record, Judge Morris permitted Hughes to post $1,000 in cash and sign an unsecured bond of $49,000. Upon release, he will be in the custody of a third-party custodian while under 24-hour house arrest without the use of an electronic monitor.
Alfredo Carmona was charged with the following offenses: carrying a firearm openly or concealed, possession of an unauthorized firearm in a vehicle, possession or sale of ammunition, alteration of identifying marks of weapons, operating an uninsured vehicle, and operating an unregistered vehicle. Carmona has a criminal record.
The fact sheet said that on Friday, August 27 at about 8:30 p.m., officers on mobile patrol observed a vehicle driving southbound on King Street Frederiksted town with no front license plate and an expired registration sticker. Eventually, the vehicle was stopped. Carmona provided officers with his license but not with up-to-date registration and insurance. Carmona denied having a weapon in the vehicle. Then, when asked if he would consent to a search of the vehicle, Carmona permitted officers to do so. A .40 caliber Glock 22 handgun with an obliterated serial number was found wedged between the floorboard and metal frame of the driver’s seat. When asked if he had a license to possess the firearm, Carmona said, “No, the streets hot.”
Judge Morris permitted Carmona to post $2,500 of the $50,000 bail. The balance will be unsecured. Prior to release, he must surrender his passport or cannot apply for one. Upon release, Carmona will be in the custody of a third-party custodian while under 24-hour house arrest without the use of an electronic monitor.
Fade Asad and Darnley N. Petersen were charged with the following: carrying a firearm openly or concealed and possession or sale of ammunition. Additionally, Petersen alone was charged with possession of an unauthorized firearm in a vehicle.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, on Saturday, August 28 at about 10:28 p.m., officers observed a vehicle with no rear license plate leaving a parking space near Napoleon’s Pizza in Estate Peters Rest. Officers stopped the vehicle in the parking lot, in which Asad was the driver and Petersen was the front passenger. Officer Robin Richards observed what appeared to be the butt of a firearm—a .40 caliber Glock 23—protruding from a brown backpack on the floorboard on the passenger side of the vehicle, according to Officer Richards’ sworn testimony at the hearing. According to forensics, the firearm contained thirteen live .40 caliber rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. A second magazine containing nine live rounds was also recovered.
When asked to whom the firearm belonged, they replied, “It doesn’t belong to us”, the fact sheet said. When asked if either had a license to possess the firearm, they both said, “No.” As the weapon was in reach of Asad and Petersen, both were placed under arrest.
Asad and Petersen’s bail was set at $50,000 each upon arrest. At the advisement hearing, Asad was permitted to post $5,000 cash and sign an unsecured bond for $45,000. Petersen was permitted to post $3,000 cash and sign an unsecured bond for $47,000.
Judge Morris ruled on the following release conditions for both co-defendants:
- Reside with third-party custodian
- Prohibited from leaving St. Croix without prior written permission of court
- 24-hour house arrest without electronic monitoring
- Surrender passport or not permitted to obtain one
- No contact with any witnesses, victims, or co-defendant
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