Golden Rock Traffic Stop Sends Mitchell Hanley Jr. To Golden Grove Prison On Illegal Gun Charges

Golden Rock Traffic Stop Sends Mitchell Hanley Jr. To Golden Grove Prison On Illegal Gun Charges

CHRISTIANSTED — A routine traffic stop near Five Corners yielded the arrest of a St. Croix man allegedly with an illegal gun and drugs in his car.

Mitchell P. Hanley Jr., 31, was arrested and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.

Bail was set at $25,000. Unable to post bail, Hanley was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility pending an advice-of-rights hearing, according to the VIPD.

After Hanley was advised of his rights, he allegedly admitted to not having a firearms license and being in possession of 2.2 pounds of marijuana found in his vehicle, VIPD spokesman Glen Dratte said. 

Members from the VIPD Special Operations Bureau (SOB) were conducting a traffic initiative “Operation Prevention Better Than Cure” on the North Shore Road near Golden Rock at 11 p.m. Saturday.

During the initiative officers observed a silver BMW 2006 without a registration sticker with three male individuals in the vehicle, police said.

“At this time officers then asked for consent to check the vehicle which was granted by the driver 31-year-old Mitchell P. Hanley Jr.,” Dratte said. “One 45-caliber firearm was discovered inside the rear right door panel, also discovered (was) 1,033 grams of marijuana.”