CHRISTIANSTED — Police patrolling in the Christiansted Town area were traveling east bound on Contentment Road towards the Christiansted Bypass when they observed a gray Kia Sorento four door overtake two moving vehicles on a double solid yellow line about 12:07 a.m. on Sunday.
Police then made a traffic stop, approached the vehicle and contacted the driver whose vehicle window was completely rolled down and immediately smelled a strong odor of what seemed to be marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
“The driver was later identified as 20-year-old Christian Nieves, was advised as to the reason for the vehicle stop,” VIPD spokesman Glen Dratte said. “Mr. Nieves was accompanied by a black male individual who was seated in the passenger seat along with another black male individual who was seated in the right rear back seat.”
Nieves was asked to turn off his vehicle and to step outside of it, according to the VIPD.
“During the process officers observed two unknown black male individuals exit the vehicle at the same time and heard a metal object as it hit the ground making a loud noise,” Dratte said. “The front seat passenger who was later identified at 28-year-old Roy Hendrickson began running away from the officers. The officers pursued Hendrickson and he was apprehended.”
Officers discovered inside the center console of said vehicle two large sandwich bags containing several small artist cups filled individually with a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, police said.
Underneath the right passenger seat was several small empty artist cups, and underneath the rear driver’s seat was a large clear mason jar glass container, which contained inside the jar two large clear sandwich bags with a clump of a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, according to police.
Also found in the vehicle what appeared to be a rusty and black colored firearm underneath the driver’s seat where Nieves was seated labeled “Master Piece Arm” caliber 5.7 X 28 MM 14, containing one live firearm and a Glock 23 firearm lying in a grassy area in the vicinity with one round in the chamber and 15 live ammunition rounds in the magazine, the VIPD said.
Also removed from the center console two clear large sandwich bags containing 104 artist cups which contained a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana and weighed 341 gross grams, according to the VIPD.
Officers opened the left rear driver door and removed a large clear mason glass bottle jar containing two large sandwich bags with large clumps of green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana and weighed 59 gross grams, police said.
Officers opened the right passenger door and removed from underneath the right passenger seat a go green plastic bag containing 32 empty artist cups which is used to package marijuana, and one black Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun with obliterated serial number with one chambered round and thirteen live rounds of ammunition in the magazine, according to police.
Nieves was placed under arrest for Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm, Possession or Sale of Ammunition, Possession of a Control Substance with the Intent to Distribute and Passing a vehicle on a double solid yellow line, Dratte said.
Roy Hendrickson was charged with Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (Principal), Possession or Sale of Ammunition, Possession of a Control Substance with the Intent to Distribute, according to Dratte.
Bail for Nieves and Hendrickson bail was set at $25,000.00 as per chart.
Unable to post bail, each man was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections, pending an advice-of-rights hearing.