Mugshot of Ramon A. Gantier Jr. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A 25-year-old man is facing criminal charges after VIPD officers found him asleep under a pool table with a loaded firearm inside a bar in Estate Peter’s Rest.
According to the police department, on Thursday officers from the VIPD Patrol Bureau were on mobile patrol when they were dispatched to the Cool Out Bar for a reported trespassing incident. Upon arrival at the establishment, officers were approached by an individual who handed over a black satchel containing a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol. The individual informed police that both the bag and the weapon belonged to a man identified as Ramon A. Gantier Jr.
According to the report, Gantier was found inside the bar, asleep beneath the pool table. Officers observed that he was highly intoxicated at the time of the encounter. He was detained and secured in a police vehicle at the scene.
Following the investigation, Gantier was arrested and formally charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm and simple assault and battery under the domestic violence statute. Bail for Gantier was set at $25,000.
The VIPD has not released further details regarding the assault and battery charge. The firearm was taken into custody by officers as part of the ongoing investigation.
