Mugshot of Sherquan Merrifield. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — A man who attempted to run when cornered by police was arrested and charged with firearm and ammunition-related charges carrying combined prison sentences of 17 years.
Sherquan Merrifield was arrested at around 1am on Sunday by officers conducting traffic control and inspections during an event at Alcohen Mall. According to the probable cause fact sheet, the officers on duty observed a large group of men smoking what appeared to be marijuana at a Bar and Restaurant. The officers approached the men and instructed them to stop smoking near the businesses.
However, as the men started adhering to the request, an officer observed that several of them were acting out of the ordinary, easing away from the area. Another officer then noticed what appeared to be a gun magazine in one of the men’s back pocket. Two officers then approached the man later identified as Sherquan Merrifield, and when asked if he had a license to carry a firearm, he replied ‘no’. When questioned about the bulge in his back pocket Merrifield reportedly motioned to run but noticed two other officers behind him.
He was subsequently escorted across the street to a marked police vehicle and officers frisked him, discovering a firearm in the pocket of his jacket. He once again tried to run but was detained and the firearm was retrieved from his person along with a loaded magazine from his back pocket. Merrifield was placed under arrest and turned over to the Bureau of Corrections after failing to post bail in the amount of $50,000.
At an advisement hearing on Monday, Judge Paula Norkaitis found probable cause to charge Merrifield with possession of an unlicensed firearm which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a possible fine of $10,000 to $15,000. He is also charged with possession of ammunition which is punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years and a $10,000 fine. Bail was eventually set at $10,000 with provisions for the posting of 10 percent. Merrifield has been released into the third-party custody of a relative and has been placed on an 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew while the criminal proceedings remain pending.
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