KINGSHILL — Two St. Croix men were arrested on illegal gun charges after a routine traffic stop near mid-island on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
D’Andre Friday, 20, of Mon Bijou and Rahmeek “OPM” Jackson, 23, of Hermon Hill, were arrested at 3:25 p.m. Monday and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
“Detectives conducted a traffic stop in the area of Mon Bijou of a car operated by Friday, in which Jackson was the passenger,” VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said. “During the course of the traffic stop, detectives recovered a loaded firearm resulting in the arrest of Friday and Jackson.”
Meanwhile, Jackson was also arrested on first-degree rape charges in January, according to police records.
Bail for Friday and Jackson was set at $50,000 each. Unable to post bail, each man was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending advice-of-rights hearings.
St. Croix District Chief of Police Sidney Elskoe congratulated the officers for making the arrests.
“Our officers are working diligently to take guns off the streets. We continue to ask for the community’s support by telling us what you know,” Chief Elskoe said. He encourages everyone who has information that can help police solve crime to call 911, the Crime Tip Line at (340) 778-4950, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-TIPS.
All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.