Mugshot of Jaime St. Omer. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A St. Croix man faces firearm and ammunition charges after police say a traffic stop for reckless passing near the refinery led officers to discover a loaded, unserialized .40-caliber handgun beneath the driver’s seat of his pickup truck.
Officers on mobile patrol stopped a black Toyota Tacoma Friday afternoon after seeing the vehicle travel south on Hope Road and overtake two vehicles across a double yellow line, according to police.
The driver, identified as Jaime St. Omer, reportedly told officers he had passed the vehicles because he was late for work and was rushing to get to the bank.
While speaking with St. Omer, officers said they noticed what appeared to be the barrel of a firearm protruding from beneath his seat. He was immediately handcuffed and detained.
Police said St. Omer admitted that he did not have a valid Virgin Islands license to possess or carry a firearm.
Forensic technicians later identified the weapon as a .40-caliber handgun with no identifiable markings or serial number, which police described as a “ghost gun.” The firearm was loaded with one live round in the chamber and 12 additional rounds in the attached magazine.
St. Omer was arrested and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and operating a vehicle in a reckless manner. Unable to post the initial $50,000 bail, he was remanded into custody pending his advice-of-rights hearing.
During Monday’s hearing, Magistrate Christopher Timmons found probable cause to uphold all charges against St. Omer.
The magistrate modified the bail conditions to permit St. Omer to secure his release by paying 10 percent of the $50,000 amount in cash, with the remaining balance posted as an unsecured bond. Other bail conditions imposed by the court had not been made public as of press time.
St. Omer’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 16.
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