Mugshot of Charles Vanterpool III. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — Several charges have been laid against a man involved in a recent vehicular collision.
Police were dispatched to an auto collision on Sunday evening where they made contact with a man sitting next to a Jeep that had been driven into a gated property in the area of Estate Profit. The man was later identified as Charles Vanterpool III, the driver of the Jeep. Both Vanterpool and the driver of the other vehicle declined medical attention and were interviewed by police separately.
Vanterpool stated that he was traveling southbound on Kingshill Road behind the other driver and had to swerve into the northbound lane when that driver stopped suddenly. According to Vanterpool, despite swerving he was still too close to the other vehicle and struck the front bumper. He further told police that his steering stopped working and his vehicle veered off the road, hitting the fence of the property.
Meanwhile, the other driver told police that he was traveling southbound and put his indicator on to make a right turn and came to a complete stop. He stated that while attempting to make the right turn, Vanterpool’s vehicle came from behind and began to overtake him, driving into the northbound lane. The man explained that Vanterpool’s vehicle collided with the front right side of his vehicle and then continued off-road, colliding into the fence.
An eyewitness told police that he saw Vanterpool speeding from the top of the hill and overtaking the other vehicle. He stated that Vanterpool passed too close to the vehicle, striking it and then losing control of the vehicle, causing it to hit the fence. While on scene, the officer was also notified by a 911 dispatcher that they had received several calls about Vanterpool’s vehicle speeding around street corners in the area and swerving between lanes.
According to the fact sheet, the officer noted that Vanterpool’s speech was slurred during his interview and that there was a noticeable odor of alcohol on his breath and person. He was therefore subjected to three standardized field sobriety tests, all of which he failed. He was then placed in handcuffs and transported to the police station where a chemical test was administered, revealing a blood alcohol content of .211 %.
Vanterpool was booked for several charges including driving under the influence, reckless driving, operating an unregistered vehicle and operating a vehicle without a license. Bail was set at $1000 and he was advised that he had the option of posting his driver's license in lieu of bail. However, he could not produce the license or the bail amount at the time and was therefore remanded to the Bureau of Corrections. He appeared for an advisement hearing on Monday where the judge concluded that he would be permitted to tender his license in lieu of bail. The judge granted him 24 hours to turn his license into the court.
