The latest mugshot of Jamari Gumbs. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — A man appeared in court Wednesday after being charged with possession of stolen property.
Jamari Gumbs, age 19, was recently arrested after a report was made about a burglary on April 23rd, 2022.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, the victim visited the Leander Jurgen Command to report that on April 23rd she had left her home on St. John locked and secured, and traveled to St. Thomas for the night. Later that day, her home surveillance camera sent her an alert that there was movement in the house. When she looked at the camera, she could see an unidentified person wearing a black mask, black hoodie, and holding a handgun in their right hand. The individual was kicking each bedroom door open, pointing the handgun into the rooms as the door opened and picking up items. The individual noticed the home surveillance camera and knocked it down. The victim did not return to her home that night.
On April 24th, officers along with the victim traveled to the home. Upon arrival, they noticed that the eastern entry door was ajar. The officers conducted an inspection of the apartment and saw that the southern sliding glass door was also ajar. The victim stated that several of the rooms were ransacked and she was missing several pieces of jewelry.
Investigations revealed that the unknown suspect entered the residence by using an unknown tool to gain entry through the southern door. It also revealed that once inside, the suspect ransacked two bedrooms and removed a gold, Cuban link chain with a gold pendant valued at $2,500. An unknown quantity of miscellaneous jewelry was also removed from a jewelry box. The suspect also traveled upstairs to the next apartment, entered, but did not remove anything.
According to documents before the courts, later that evening an arrest was made on behalf of Aqua Blue Car Rentals after several of their vehicles had been removed from their premises. Jamari Gumbs and several others were arrested in that matter. Gumbs was seen jumping into a taxi attempting to leave the area. While inside the taxi, Gumbs dropped his cell phone which was later discovered and turned over to police. The phone had Gumbs' photo as a screen saver, and he was positively identified as the man who entered the taxi.
A review of the surveillance footage at the car rental and the video footage of the residential break-in, showed that the individual who removed a yellow jeep wrangler from the car rental matched the description of the individual seen on camera at the home where the burglary occurred. All involved in the vehicle theft were caught in a green Suzuki. Found inside the vehicle during processing was a black book bag and within that bag were the black hoodie and sweats seen on the suspect who broke into the residential home. Also found within that bag were jewelry items removed from the victim’s home including the chain with the $2,500 pendant.
The stolen vehicles along with the stolen jewelry were recovered. On September 19th Gumbs turned himself over to police.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Gumbs would only be released upon posting 10 percent of the $25,000 bail requirement, with an allowance for the bail to be modified with the submission of a suitable third-party custodian. He is barred from leaving St. Thomas and cannot obtain a passport or other forms of identification while the matter is pending. The suspect must also report to the Office of Probation every Tuesday and must abide by a daily curfew of 7:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m.
Gumbs is further barred from going near the home of the victim and is to have no contact, directly or indirectly with the victim or any witnesses. He is also forbidden from consuming alcohol and obtaining a firearm while the matter is pending.
This is not Gumbs' first encounter with police. In March he was arrested and charged with possession of illegal ammunition and possession of narcotics with intent to distribute.
