FREDERIKSTED — Alert police seeing a black Honda driving without license plates late Tuesday night conducted a traffic stop near the Captain Morgan Rum Distillery and allegedly found two St. Croix men with handguns, authorities said.
Jareem Tutein, 22, the driver of the car, was arrested and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, the Virgin Islands Police Department said. Bail for Tutein was set at $10,000 by a Superior Court Magistrate. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Golden Grove Detention Center.
Roy Hendrickson, 29, was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, obstructing and delaying an officer while discharging his duties, according to the VIPD. Bail for Hendrickson was set by a Superior Court Magistrate at $100,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Golden Grove Detention Center.
For Hendrickson, this is the second time in three months that the VIPD has nabbed him in a routine traffic stop with a firearm in the car. He was also arrested May 19 (see article below).
Officers from the SOB (Special Operations Bureau) while on patrol on the Melvin H. Evans Highway about 10:25 p.m. Tuesday near the Captain Morgan Rum Distillery spotted a black two-door Honda without license plate tags, police said.
Officers with the SOB immediately conducted a traffic stop, according to police. The driver, Tutein, came out of the vehicle and provided an expired driver’s license.
“During the process officers observed a black handgun behind the driver’s seat on the floor,” VIPD spokesman Glen Dratte said. “Tutein was immediately detained.”
The passenger, Hendrickson, also exited the vehicle. As police questioned him, he “became aggressive and uncooperative with the officers when a physical altercation ensued where the officers and Hendrickson fell to (the) ground.”
“Subsequently, the officers were able to detain Hendrikson,” Dratte said.
While on the ground, police noticed a handgun underneath the vehicle to rear passenger’s side, the police spokesman said.