The Edward Wilmoth Blyden Marine Terminal on Veterans’ Drive. (The VIPD has not provided a mugshot of Lester Curtis Mombelly Jr.)
ST. THOMAS — On Tuesday, Lester Curtis Mombelly Jr. was arrested after authorities discovered an outstanding arrest warrant in his name from Dekalb County, Georgia.
According to court documents, Customs and Border Protection officers contacted the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau around 1:30 pm on January 16, informing that there was a possible fugitive from justice currently at the Edward Wilmoth Blyden Marine Terminal on Veterans’ Drive. The terminal serves travelers between the BVI and St. Thomas.
The discovery was made while conducting a routine inspection at the terminal’s Customs and Immigration checkpoint, when Mombelly’s documents were unable to clear. Officers were made aware at that time that an arrest warrant for someone with that name had been issued by the Superior Court of Dekalb County.
Local authorities contacted the Dekalb County Fugitive Task Force, who confirmed that the warrant was active, and that they wished to have Mombelly extradited. At that juncture, he was taken into custody, charged with being a Fugitive from Justice, and remanded into custody to await his first court appearance.
In court on Wednesday, Magistrate Paula Norkaitis was informed that Mombelly would waive his right to an extradition hearing. Informing his defense attorney that a motion would need to be submitted for the court to consider bail, the judge scheduled a hearing for February 21 in anticipation that authorities from Georgia would come to the USVI to return Mombelly to the Dekalb County jurisdiction.
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