CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Hospital Ground man who hid a loaded Glock 17 in a baby’s diaper bag has been charged with federal illegal gun crimes in connection to an armed robbery of a jewelry store in September, authorities said.
Shemelle Isaac, 28, of H.H. Berg Home and Additions, has been charged in a criminal complaint with accessory after the fact, possession of stolen property, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
According to court documents, on December 11, Tashawn T.A. Warner was arrested for his role in the robbery of the Gems & Gold Corner jewelry store in St. Thomas, which occurred on September 19, 2020.
Immediately prior to his arrest, Warner was observed loading bags into the trunk of a 2020 Gray Toyota Corolla registered to him.
After Warner closed the trunk and entered the Corolla, a Black Infinity G37x drove towards Warner at a high rate of speed and stopped next to Warner’s vehicle.
Warner exited the Corolla, removed the bags from the trunk of the Corolla, and placed them into the trunk of the Infinity G37x. Warner then briefly opened and closed one of the passenger side doors of the Infinity G37x, which then drove off.
As Warner got back into the Corolla, he was arrested. At the same time that Warner was being placed into custody, Shemelle Isaac was observed walking from the direction where the Infinity G37x had driven off, holding a child.
Isaac entered a residence briefly then approached the arresting agents (without the child) and identified himself as “Shawn,” a friend of Warner’s.
Following Warner’s arrest, the Infinity G37x was located parked around the corner from Isaac’s residence in front of another residence.
While agents were photographing the Infinity G37x, the hood was checked and found to still be warm, as if the vehicle had recently been driven.
VIPD officers called for a tow truck. The officers observed bags located inside the passenger area of the vehicle.
While agents were awaiting the tow truck, Shemelle Isaac approached on foot and stated the vehicle was his, but it was registered to his girlfriend.
Shemelle Isaac confirmed he was aware of an article in the newspaper about Warner’s arrest for his involvement in a jewelry store robbery and that he came here to speak to Warner about it.
Shemelle Isaac insisted he needed his daughter’s diaper bag out of the car, because it contained her milk. However, when agents offered to give him the bag only after they searched it for contraband, he refused.
Agents obtained a search warrant for both the Corolla and the Infinity G37x. They searched the (diaper) bag, which contained a fully loaded Glock 17 in a holster.
Inside the trunk of the vehicle, agents located a duffel bag containing an unloaded Glock 26, three loaded AK-47 style rifles, four Glock magazines, three AK-47 magazines including a drum magazine, rifle ammunition and a sandwich bag containing five gold necklaces and a bracelet.
Agents confirmed with the owner of the Gems & Gold Corner jewelry store that the recovered jewlery was part of the jewelry stolen during the robbery perpetrated on September 19, 2020.
Based on a combined weight of the found pieces of jewelry shown to the owner, the owner estimated the price of the found pieces as approximately $26,000.00.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan Albino.
A complaint is merely a charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt.
Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.