Mugshot of Ikemadu Phipps. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A man was arrested after he damaged a police vehicle trying to evade a traffic stop, and subsequently attempted to jettison a bag found to contain crack cocaine.
According to court documents, on Friday afternoon, police on mobile patrol in Estate Whim spotted a black Acura TSX with no front license plate. Officers attempted to make a traffic stop, however as one marked police vehicle came to a stop in front of the car, lights flashing, the driver of the Acura swerved around, colliding instead with the second marked police vehicle, causing damage to its front guard rail.
After crashing into the police truck, the driver of the Acura tried to flee once more. This attempt ended in a nearby open yard, about 100 feet away. The car eventually came to a complete stop, and from that distance, officers reportedly saw the driver throw a transparent sandwich bag onto the roof of the house associated with the yard.
This time, the driver stayed put when police approached, but when asked, he denied throwing anything out of the car. Identified as Ikemadu Phipps, the Acura’s driver was then placed into handcuffs, during which officers noticed the bag – which contained two pieces of what looked like white rocks – fall off the roof of the house where it had been thrown.
Phipps was put into the back seat of one of the police vehicles while officers awaited the arrival of forensic technicians. When they came, the technicians tested a piece of the substance in the sandwich bag, and recorded a positive result for crack cocaine. There was a total of 27.6 grams of the narcotic in the bag.
At that point, Phipps was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. He was remanded into custody and appeared in court on Monday, where Judge Ernest Morris Jr. found probable cause to uphold the charge against him.
The judge ordered that Phipps be allowed to pay $1500 of his $15,000 bail requirement in cash, with the rest signed as an unsecured bond. Phipps is next scheduled to appear in court on July 24.
