CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Croix man appeared in federal court in St. Thomas after being arrested with a Glock machine pistol last week, authorities said.
Karime Williams, 36, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller for a preliminary and detention hearing after his arrest by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives agents on Thursday, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Magistrate Miller ordered Williams detained pending trial.
According to court records, on May 11, Virgin Islands Police Department officers operating in the vicinity of the Cyril E. King Airport observed a vehicle traveling west on the airport road with neither a front license plate nor headlights.
Officers stopped the vehicle and ordered the two occupants to exit the vehicle. While conducting a pat-down for officer safety, the officers discovered a firearm tucked into the Williams’ waistband.
The firearm was a Glock Model 23 pistol equipped with a “Glock Switch” which converted the handgun into an automatic weapon.
VIPD officers later determined that Williams had two prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and unauthorized weapons possession.
Williams was accused of beating a St. Croix woman and firing shots near the Christiansted Cemetery in March of 2017, according to VIPD records.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard Potter.
Shappert said that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document, and it is not in and of itself evidence of guilt.
“Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” she said.