CHRISTIANSTED — An armed St. Croix man who brashly sold drugs out of his Jeep right across the street from an elementary school was given the maximum amount of time in prison by a federal judge on Wednesday.
Rakem “Kimby” Hendrickson, 29, of St. Croix, appeared before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis and was sentenced on his conviction for use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Chief Judge Lewis sentenced Hendrickson to a five-year prison term, a four-year period of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, and assessed a special assessment of $100, Shappert said.
According to court documents, on February 16, 2018, the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) received a tip from a concerned citizen that Hendrickson was selling drugs from his Jeep Wrangler, that Hendrickson was known to carry a firearm, and that he routinely parked the Jeep in the vicinity of Dynasty (Paul’s) Grocery Store. VIPD officers established surveillance at that location and thereafter observed Hendrickson park and exit his vehicle.
Officers observed drug paraphernalia consisting of a clear plastic bag containing multiple vials in plain view, located in the back of Hendrickson’s Jeep. Shortly thereafter, officers obtained and executed a search warrant.
As a result, officers located and confiscated a loaded Glock 22 Austria handgun, two additional magazines, 82 rounds of ammunition, approximately 133 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia in the form of 94 plastic vials, a digital scale, two mason jars, plastic baggies, and $2,584 cash.
The foregoing occurred within 1,000 feet of the Lew Muckle Elementary School. Hendrickson got the maximum amount of prison time he was facing based on what he was convicted for.
Authorities at one point spelled Hendrickson’s first name as “Rahem.”
The Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.
The DEA Southeast Laboratory in Miami analyzed the marijuana.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.